Clemson OL coach Robbie Caldwell helped stranded Notre Dame fans
Clemson offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell assisted two Notre Dame fans who were stranded during a rainstorm early Sunday morning.
According to The Post and Courier, the two fans, brothers Larry and Tony Luppi, made the trip to Clemson for Saturday night’s primetime matchup between the Irish and Tigers. They planned to take a shuttle bus back to their hotel after the game (which Clemson won 24-22), but things went awry and the two decided to make the trek on foot.
From The Post and Courier:
After Clemson’s 24-22 win went final at 11:42 p.m., the Luppis’ plan was to ride a shuttle back to their hotel in Seneca and drive their rental car to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in time to catch a 7:30 a.m. Sunday flight.
They never saw the shuttle, and traffic was impossibly congested due to the exodus of fans trying to escape the weather. So the Luppis began hiking in the dark and the rain.
“We’re the most conservative guys. We didn’t have anything to drink the whole day, totally sober,” Tony said. “As we’re running alongside the highway, Larry’s going, ‘you realize these cars can spin out of control and hit us?’ I’m thinking, ‘how would we ever explain this to our loved ones, or how would someone piece this all together?’”
The pair’s hotel was roughly 10 miles from Memorial Stadium and the two eventually reached a convenience store and called a cab. That’s where Caldwell enters the story. He saw the two Notre Dame fans in the store and asked if they needed help.
The brothers thought Caldwell was just a fan, but as he drove them toward the hotel, he told them he was the Tigers’ offensive line coach.
The driver began making small talk — “Were you at the game? Did you have a great time?” — and eventually, Larry asked what the man did for a living.
“I coach at Clemson,” was the response. According to Tony, “my first thought was, ‘he coaches baseball or rugby or lacrosse or something.’ So he asked Caldwell what he coached.
“Oh, I coach the offensive line,” Caldwell said.
After reaching the hotel, Caldwell gave the Luppis directions to return to the highway toward Atlanta, stayed until their rental car started and refused to accept any compensation. The men made their flight on time.
The Luppis told the Post and Courier that they planned to send Caldwell a thank you note and a gift card to Bass Pro Shops.
“Pretty dedicated fans to come all the way out here. They were the nicest people, and they were tickled pink,” Caldwell, who is in his fifth year at Clemson, said. “All they could talk about was how well they were treated by the Clemson fans. That’s very impressive by our people.”
For more Clemson news, visit TigerIllustrated.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
