When the Indianapolis Colts took the field against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 12, one Colts cheerleader had no idea the biggest moment of the game would happen during a timeout.
Mika Takahashi, a native of Hudson and graduate of Western Reserve Academy, was performing on the field early in the third quarter right after a Cardinals touchdown when her then-boyfriend Spencer Phillips appeared and proposed to her on the field.
“I turned and he was there on one knee, and just immediately the tears started coming and it was just the most shocking moment, just the biggest surprise,” Takahashi said.
Video posted by the Colts cheerleaders Instagram page shows the moment Phillips walked through the tunnel of cheerleaders wearing a custom jersey that read “Marry Me” as he snuck up behind Takahashi and proposed.
“[Our] dance finished and I hit my ending pose, and I remember my coach was looking at me and really smiling, and I thought I just did a good job in the dance,” Takahashi said. “I was like, ‘oh, this is great. I did a good job,’ and someone yelled, ‘Mika turn around’.”
She said she initially believed something was wrong so she was surprised when she turned around to see Phillips. The cheerleaders circled around the couple as the longtime Ballet Theater of Ohio dancer teared up and accepted Phillips’ proposal.
“It was so amazing, and it’s funny because there’s 60,000 fans in [Lucas Oil Stadium], everyone’s screaming, but I can just seriously remember hearing him say the words ‘will you marry me,'” Takahashi said.
While she didn’t know Phillips would pop the question at the game, she had a suspicion the day would arrive soon.
“Parts of me were thinking ‘oh, my mom is in town from Hawaii, so maybe it’ll happen when she’s here,'” Takahashi said. “By the time the game actually started, I was convinced it wasn’t going to happen.”
Takahashi said following the game, her teammates celebrated her proposal in the locker room.
“I remember I was the last one to walk into the locker room and everyone was chanting my name and gave me a hug, and some of them decorated my locker with balloons that said ‘bride’ and there was a little gift for me. It was just the sweetest thing in the world,” she said. “They are truly my best friends, I am just so grateful for my teammates.”
What went into planning the game day proposal?
Athena Markowski, the Colts’ marketing and social media coordinator who helped to set up this moment, said Phillips approached her in May.
“He knew an on-field proposal was Mika’s absolute dream, and so we [worked] alongside the cheer and game presentation departments to make it happen,” Markowski said. “[Spencer], one of Mika’s close friends and I began brainstorming what would be perfect for her, and [were] so excited for this moment.”
Markowski, a Fairlawn native, said everyone wanted the fans to be involved, which was where the “Marry Me” jersey came in.
“[Spencer’s jersey] was shown on the video board prior to him popping the question, and the crowd went crazy when they saw it – it was a moment of connection for the entire stadium and our team,” Markowski said.
In order to keep the secret from Takahashi, only a small group of people knew about the proposal plans up until the week of the game.
“My director really wanted Spencer to practice the proposal, so she sent Mika to an appearance the Tuesday before the game, and during one of the Colts Cheer practices,” Markowski said. “That night, we told the team (26 people outside of Mika) and they lost their minds when Spencer came into practice.”
“Our team dynamic is so close, so it was a little nerve-wracking having 26 of her closest friends in on this secret but they absolutely crushed it and no one spilled!” she said.
The choreographer helped to combat Takahashi’s suspicions, Markowski said.
“On game day itself, we knew she was suspicious, again, an on-field proposal was her dream, so I think she went into every game day slightly on edge,” Markowski said. “Our choreographer pulled out the move of the century when she camera blocked the routine during field rehearsal that morning. Mika was placed front and center, but our choreographer had the camera ending on a different cheerleader, so she assumed since the camera wasn’t rehearsed to end on her, the proposal wouldn’t happen.”
Markowski said she was grateful to be part of this special moment.
“From locking in a game day, to coordinating in secret with her family to surprise her, to decorating her locker in our locker room afterwards, so many people were involved in pulling this off and helped us think of every detail,” she said. “I’ve been able to storytell and capture so many special moments, and this is bound to go down as one of my favorites.”
The video of the proposal has drawn tens of thousands of views and the congratulations of Colts fans nationwide, which Takahashi said was heartwarming.
“I was so happy to celebrate our love, not only with my team, but also with the Colts organization and to get to celebrate a life-changing moment of mine with all of our fans at Lucas Oil, and with the Colts ending up winning the game, it was just the perfect combination,” she said.
“The Colts are what brought me to Indiana and what allowed me to meet my now-fiancé, so the proposal was a perfect way to tie it all together.”
Takahashi said the couple, who have been dating since December 2023, have not set a wedding date yet, but are considering some time in spring 2027.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Indianapolis Colts cheerleader, a Hudson native, surprised by on-field proposal
Reporting by Anthony Thompson, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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