Football Legend Reveals How Shane Beamer's Words Changed His Life

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Steph Dwilson | Last updated Jun 9, 2025 5:40 PM ET

South Carolina's head football coach Shane Beamer was deeply moved by a special message a former player sent to him on Monday morning, June 9. Marcus Lattimore, a South Carolina Gamecocks football legend, wrote a poem in honor of Beamer and shared it in a video on X.

Beamer is beginning his fifth season as head coach of the Gamecocks, but he previously served as an assistant coach with the Gamecocks from 2007 to 2010 under head coach Steve Spurrier. He was there when Lattimore, the Gamecocks' freshman running back, led the team to its first SEC Eastern Division crown since joining the SEC in 1992. Lattimore later was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers.

Lattimore read his poem in a three-minute long video that has more than 77,000 views on X. His poem focused on the power of words. "I've seen words turn a quarterback into a vegetable... Words matter," he said.

Lattimore recounted words that Beamer said to him in August 2010 that changed his future.

"I want y'all to watch this freshman right here," Lattimore recalled Beamer saying. "Somebody that's going to be great for us on Saturdays in the backfield. Watch his effort in this drill... Perfect technique. That's a hell of a job Marcus. Keep it up."

Lattimore said those words transformed him.

"Those words are etched in my brain for infinity like a tattoo," he said. "What Coach Shane Beamer didn't know was that up until that moment, I was drowning in self doubt. Fantasies of going back home. External expectations eating away every ounce of sleep. I couldn't even eat. I just wanted to run away, until that day. I finally got some sleep that night."

He went on to talk about how a coach's well-timed words can "transform an insecure, hard-working, average athlete into a Southeastern legend."

Beamer was deeply moved by Lattimore's words.

He wrote back on X, "WOW- Thank YOU @MarcusLattimore. You made 10x the impact on ME that I made on you ….I hope you know that You’re a @GamecockFB legend & a State of South Carolina legend -You make this world better Can’t wait to see you again soon ….I love you my man."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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