College football coach gets emotional after win following night stranded in homeless shelter parking lot
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The East Tennessee State football team had an unconventional weekend, to say the least.
East Tennessee, along with much of the Southeast and Appalachia, was hammered by the remnants of Hurricane Helene this week. The ETSU Buccaneers were scheduled to play in Charleston, South Carolina, against The Citadel, and unfortunately, the team encountered severe difficulties getting to the game.
The Buccaneers were stranded inside of a bus in North Carolina for 12 hours on Friday night and Saturday morning. The original route the team planned on taking was closed due to flooding, and cell and internet service went out. The team was forced to spend the night in the bus camped outside of a homeless shelter.
Luckily, a couple of the team’s coaches received a ride from a good samaritan to a local hotel and were able to make contact with the outside world. Eventually, the interstate reopened and the team made it to Charleston in the early morning.
ETSU would not only play their game as scheduled, but they went on to win 34-17. Head coach Tre Lamb was emotional after the team’s gutsy performance.
“I’m just proud of the way they played, man,” said the coach. “We got out of there this morning, they wanted to play. And I’m glad we did, good to see them get a win.”
Man, talk about emotion, and tears just pouring out. Talk about a situation worse than you can imagine, and a team galvanizing for a win.
ETSU head coach Tre Lamb, literally in tears talking about the Helene ordeal. Stuck in a homeless shelter parking lot. No cell service.… pic.twitter.com/NbXzAfbMnQ
— Scott Eisberg (@SEisbergWCIV) September 29, 2024
When asked about what the win would mean for the city, Lamb got emotional.
“We’ve got people on our team that are affected (by the flooding),” explained Lamb. “We’ve got to find a way to get through it, and pray about it, just a tough city. Hopefully, we gave them something to cheer about.”
The Bucs improved to 3-2 with the win and will return home on Sunday.
Bryce Lazenby covers college football for Saturday Down South. A Nashville native, his previous stops include FanSided, Dimers, and The Leaf-Chronicle.
