Running back and return specialist Austin Ekeler’s single mother took up the mantle to raise him and his younger brother, Wyett Ekeler, on her own.
Austin Ekeler was born to his mother, Suzanne Ekeler-Adams; however, details about his biological father aren’t available, for he left them when he was born.
Suzanne raised Austin in Lincoln, Nebraska, before moving to Colorado Springs.
His father is serving a life sentence in a Nevada maximum-security prison. Shortly after his incarceration, Ekeler shifted to an area just outside the city limits with his mother.
Suzanne has moved on from her past relationship and is now married. Ekeler’s mother and stepfather, Mr Adams, have been together for over a decade and share a son, Wyett.
Celebrating as a family, Wyett’s next step in his career🙏🏻💛 GO POKES🏈🐎 pic.twitter.com/dD4g6FNO5m
— Suzanne Ekeler (@Ekeler_Suzanne) November 23, 2019
The football player was raised by his stepfather and his mother; however, Ekeler doesn’t have a strong relationship with either of his fathers and seldom talks about them.
Part of Ekeler’s childhood includes working on his stepfather’s 80-acre ranch in Briggsdale, Colorado. He would go for long hours tending to horses, chickens, and cows, even in the early hours of the windy freeze of winter.
His stepfather, Mr Adams, had also built fencing; hence,
Suzanne and her two sons lived in Colorado’s northern plains, a little over an hour from Denver, in Eaton.
She wholeheartedly credits the people of Eaton, who made it easy for her to raise the boys. She says, “an amazing community that had our backs.“
Suzanne Ekeler, a Former Collegiate Basketball Player, Is Now a Realtor!
Suzanne Ekeler played college basketball at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. She had post moves and a nickname, “The Animal.“
Ekeler praised his mother, saying
She was a maniac out there.
Her collegiate experience in sports allowed her to coach high school basketball, sharing her passion and expertise with her sons. In the summers, Suzanne would coach Ekeler in basketball while growing up.
However, Suzanne never imagined Ekeler as an NFL player in her dreams, for he didn’t grow up watching football. He watched the rodeo as his stepfather was involved in team roping.
Meanwhile, Suzanne is a residential realtor with Windermere Estate. However, it hasn’t always been a bed of roses for her; she worked several odd jobs to put her boys in their current positions.
Suzanne worked as a waitress before she met Ekeler’s stepfather. Nonetheless, the bad days for her are gone as Ekeler is making it big in the sports industry.
For all the sacrifices she has made, Austin Ekeler credits much of his success to his mother.
She faced significant challenges, including managing a divorce and raising her children as a single parent.
Despite several obstacles, Suzanne never gave up and remained determined to provide for her kids.
Now, she rarely misses either of her son’s games. Ekeler is a coveted NFL player, whereas his half-brother, Wyett, is now a safety of Wyoming.
“When I sit back and watch him now, I’m just so thankful that the world gets to see what I’ve seen for so long. I’m so darn proud of him,” Suzanne takes great pride in Ekeler’s career.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Austin Ekeler went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft but signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as a free agent.
- Ekeler married Melanie Wilking in 2023 after dating for almost two years.
