Before about a few hours ago most college football fans probably didn’t even know who the head coach of Northern Illinois was. Now head coach Thomas Hammock is going to be etched in history as the man whose team shocked the world with an incredible win over Notre Dame.
Going into today’s game on the road in South Bend, the Huskies were 28-pouint underdogs and had never beaten a top 10 ranked team in their history. Notre Dame, on the other hand, were the No. 10 team in the country and coming off a marquee road win over Texas A&M last week.
That didn’t matter to Hammock, who in an interview with NBC after the 15-13 win over the Fighting Irish tearfully declared that he couldn’t be more proud of what his student-athletes – who he dubbed “my kids” – achieved today.
“They believed. And we came here and got it done,” Hammock said. “All these guys have been with our program, lived through the ups and downs and have continued to fight. It’s like they’re my kids… I just couldn’t be more proud.”
“All these guys have been with our program, lived through the ups and downs and have continued to fight. It’s like they’re my kids…I just couldn’t be more proud.”
An emotional NIU coach Thomas Hammock moments after the Huskies beat Notre Dame. pic.twitter.com/3nSI7Sm7MY
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 7, 2024
Fans absolutely loved seeing Coach Hammock get so emotional and said that it’s part of what makes the sport great.
“This is what the essence of sports is. Congratulations on the win,” one user wrote.
“Thomas Hammock played at Northern Illinois. Hammock has been the head coach at his alma mater since 2019. The emotion simply pours out after NIU upsets Notre Dame. College football is the best,” wrote another.
“I had never heard of him until today, but this genuine emotion makes me want to hug him and say ‘great job Coach,'” a third said.
This truly is an historic day for Hammock and the entire Northern Illinois football program.
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