Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville was an emotional one as the Virginia football team, fans and locals remembered the lives of three young men that had their lives ended too soon. Three football players — Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry — were tragically killed last November when a classmate opened fire on a bus returning from a field trip.
Another player, Mike Hollins, survived a gunshot wound to the back and, in a true test of dedication, courage and strength, returned to the football field. Against James Madison University on Saturday, Hollins punched home a touchdown that cut the Dukes’ lead to three and filled Scott Stadium with emotion yet again.
After scoring, Hollins met his younger brother on the sidelines for an embrace.
An inspiration to all!
300 days later, Mike Hollins not only takes the field but scores a touchdown to pull UVA within 3!
🎥 @UVAFootball | @ESPNU
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) September 9, 2023
Pregame featured a video — narrated by vaunted actor Samuel L. Jackson — that discussed the legacies of Davis Jr., Perry and Chandler before skydivers entered the stadium with flags bearing the numbers of each of the fallen players. Virginia also unveiled commemorative plaques and a permanent fixture with the numbers 1, 15 and 41.
𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙣 𝙉𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨.#UVAStrong pic.twitter.com/aeAAasrTXv
— Virginia Cavaliers (@VirginiaSports) September 9, 2023
A feel good moment on this college football Saturday.
