'Crying Northwestern kid' from 2017 March Madness now a Harvard freshman
BOSTON - A March Madness meme is making the rounds on social media again after a series of incredible upsets on Thursday. "Crying Northwestern kid" went viral in 2017 after his team lost.
John Phillips, who is now a freshman at Harvard University, talked with WBZ-TV about his enduring internet fame.
"This team in particular, I had traveled with them, I had eaten with them, I had played with them a little bit as a young 7th grader," Phillips said.
He still remembers the magic of that 2017 Northwestern team. His dad was the school's athletic director at the time. The Cinderella team was taking on Gonzaga in the second round when it all came crashing down.
"The CBS camera crew managed to capture my rollercoaster of emotions during that wild game," Phillips said.
Just a 7th grader, Phillips was overcome with emotion, unknowingly becoming an instant digital celebrity. He's been "memed" and "giffed" into eternity, an everlasting symbol of a sports fan's agony of defeat.
"People had started texting me, and at first a lot of friends, a lot of my close friends had texted me like 'hey stay off social media,'" Phillips said.
He did initially, but eventually chose to embrace his odd notoriety, even using it for good. In 2019, Pizza Hut used his image in a spot. John and his family turned it into a fundraising opportunity.
"Instead of getting compensated for it, we would help to donate money to some charitable organizations, some literacy programs in Chicago," he said.
He also successfully used it as the topic of his admissions essay to Harvard. Now a freshman, he's cheering for the Crimson, but also the Wildcats.
"Obviously there's such a special bond that I guess the whole world has seen now and I'm absolutely rooting for Northwestern," he said.
He had plenty to cheer about Thursday night when Northwestern beat Boise State to advance to the second round.
