Alabama Crimson Tide

Derrick Henry's family watched Heisman ceremony with his grandmother at a hospital

Published Dec. 13, 2015 11:41 a.m. ET

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The announcement took place in New York on Saturday as Alabama running back Derrick Henry won the 2015 Heisman Trophy in front of his mother and father.

The grand celebration, however, occurred far south of the presentation, according to Al.com. Henry's family was at Specialty Hospital Jacksonville in Florida with 81-year-old Gladys Henry. The grandmother who raised the football star was in the hospital due to health issues.

Via Al.com, the role Gladys Henry played in the life of those in the Henry family:

Gladys Henry is the mother of 14 children and she has 26 grandchildren, 26 great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.

Derrick Henry spent his childhood with Gladys, but his aunts also played an important role in his life. He has 12.

"We're a tight family and he was a special case," Latrease Terry said.

Said one of Derrick's uncles, Cooley Jones:  "I don't know how he made it around all those girls."

"We're the reason he made it," said Gladys Jones, Cooley's wife.

In a video from Al.com, Henry's family can be seen jumping, clapping, and screaming when he is named the winner on TV.

Gladys Henry was with 25 family members. Al.com reported that she had been unable to speak for two months due to a tracheotomy. However, she recently regained her voice and summed the moment up perfectly.

"It was one of the biggest moments of my life," Gladys Henry said. "This meant the world to me."

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