Stranded Pitt players get ride from UTEP basketball coach

UTEP head men's basketball coach Joe Golding GABY VELASQUEZ/ EL PASO TIMES / USA TODAY NETWORK

Several stranded Pitt players hitched ride to Sun Bowl with UTEP basketball coach

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 12/27/22

Travel has been a nightmare this holiday season for millions of people due to arctic weather and flight cancellations. Three Pitt football players found themselves in the middle of that predicament this week when an unlikely source randomly showed up to give them a lift to El Paso, Texas, to make it in time for Sun Bowl practice.

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said on Monday that Samuel Okunlola, Jake Frantl and Hudson Primus were all stranded in Dallas due to their flight being delayed. It was there that they bumped into UTEP basketball coach Joe Golding and his family who were stuck in an identical situation.

So Golding and his family loaded up the car with the three Pitt players and embarked on a 600-mile road trip to get everybody safely into El Paso.

Golding told a TV station in El Paso that Narduzzi approved of the road trip while the Pitt players informed their parents of the new travel plans and exchanged the necessary information to keep everybody safe and comfortable.

Just spoke with @UTEPMBB coach Joe Golding about driving his family + 3 @Pitt_FB players 9 hours from Dallas overnight to get them to El Paso for the Sun Bowl (@TonyTheTigerSB).

"I didn't even think twice about it...I would hope someone would do that for my kids." pic.twitter.com/0sOwT383X7
— Colin Deaver (@ColinDeaverTV) December 27, 2022

Golding said he saw the players with Pitt football bags and assumed they were players trying to make it to the Sun Bowl, which was initially caused him to approach them. When he realized there were not enough rental cars available and no more flights he rented the biggest car he could to fit in his family and the players.

All three players made it to practice on time.

The 8-4 Panthers play No. 18 ranked UCLA on Friday with a 2 p.m. ET kickoff.

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