In one of the feel-good stories in sports this holiday season, UTEP basketball coach Joe Golding offered a ride to El Paso to three Pitt football players who were stranded in Dallas because of weather delays.
Jake Frantl, Samuel Okunlola and Hudson Primus were all traveling through the city to El Paso en route to the Sun Bowl after spending time with their families. But, like so many other holiday travelers, their plans were disrupted when their flights got canceled Sunday, leaving them stranded at the airport
Golding came to their rescue. He was making his way back to campus with his family and likewise found his flight canceled. He secured a rental car agreement before the supply ran out. Then he saw the players.
“I see these three guys, and they have Pitt bags on, and they start talking about playing in the Sun bowl and having to get to El Paso and there weren’t any cars left,” Golding said. “And I was like, ‘Hey, if we can find a big enough car, I’ll take you guys home.’ They were like “Who are you’.”’
Golding identified himself and the three piled into an SUV, along with Golding’s wife and children Cason and Chase for an overnight ride.
“Out here in West Texas, this is what we do,” Golding said. “I didn’t even think twice about it. I would hope somebody would do that for Cason and Chase one time if they were stranded somewhere on Christmas night and needed a ride home.”
The trip lasted nine hours.
“They got here late last night,” Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said. “I just wanted to give a shout out to those guys. Just goes back to hospitality. Great job by Joe and we appreciate it.”
Golding called the players “terrific young men that represented Pitt football in a first class manner. I educated them on West Texas, they educated me on Pitt football and Stack’d burgers. I’m a Pitt football fan now.”
Franti, a redshirt freshman quarterback, tweeted his thanks and said he and his teammates would never forget the Christmas story.
Pitt plays UCLA in the Sun Bowl Friday.
