University of Oklahoma punter Michael Turk made the final home game of his college career a memorable one. Not only did the Sooners get a 28-13 victory over rival Oklahoma State on Saturday, but Turk also left Oklahoma Memorial Stadium with a fiancée.
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Before every game, Turk gets a card with a Bible verse on it from girlfriend Grace Lyons, an All-American shortstop on Oklahoma’s national championship softball team. Turk decided to propose by writing on the back of Saturday’s card.
After punting the ball 11 times and averaging 49.0 yards per punt, he raced back into the locker room to grab the ring. He then gathered some of his teammates and popped the question.
A night to remember. She said yes! 💍
Congrats to @HangtimeYT and @grace_lyons5! #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/JIypKoCRiD
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) November 20, 2022
Turk documented the entire day in a video for his popular YouTube channel.
In his Instagram post celebrating the engagement, Turk gave thanks to God for bringing Lyons into his life.
“I got to propose to the love of my life after the game against Oklahoma State last night,” he wrote. “I knew she was the one for me very early on… and I’m so thankful the Lord brought us together at this time.”
He ended the post with Proverbs 19:14, which reads, “Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”
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Lyons also posted on Instagram after the proposal and included Romans 8:28 in her caption. The post celebrated the way Lyons sees God through Turk.
“Michael Turk is an answered prayer,” she wrote. “He leads me and he loves me so genuinely. And he reminds me of God’s goodness and mercy every single day. There are too many things to explain how the Lord has led each of our steps to this point. I’m simply thankful!”
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Turk is in his second season at Oklahoma after transferring from Arizona State. He declared for the 2020 NFL Draft and was granted a waiver to return to college when he went undrafted.
During his preparation for the NFL draft, Turk joined the Sports Spectrum Podcast to talk about his punting journey and the role faith plays in his life.
“It’s about glorifying Him, preaching the Gospel and then just whatever avenue we are — whether you’re a punter or a teacher or whatever you’re doing — doing it for His glory and allowing Him to use that for His purposes,” he said on the podcast.
Lyons, meanwhile, is a two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American who hit .401 with 23 home runs and 70 RBIs last season as the Sooners repeated as national champions.
She is also the founder of The Player’s Conference, an organization that helps build community among Christians in college softball and baseball. Lyons shared about the inspiration behind The Player’s Conference on the Sports Spectrum Podcast in August.
Knowing that she is a child of God before anything else has helped keep Lyons grounded during all the success she’s experienced.
“We have our armor on — our softball uniform that disguises us — but under that … our faith is what we should be rooted in,” she said on the podcast. “It’s just so cool to be able to have that as our identity, and it allows us to be able to go into all these different places in our lives because softball is just one part of my life.”
Turk will play his final regular-season game at Texas Tech on Saturday, while Lyons is preparing for her final season at Oklahoma this spring.
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