COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Western New Mexico University's football team's 496-mile road trip from Silver City, N.M. to Durango, Colo. was unexpectedly cut short by 44 miles when their charter bus caught on fire Friday afternoon in Bloomfield, N.M. No one was injured.
The Mustangs were slated to play Fort Lewis College at 1 p.m. last Saturday, although the plans changed slightly when the bus, carrying 55 football players and coaches, was burned down to its shell. All of the team's football equipment and some personal possessions were lost in the fire.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined, although a leaky brake line or flat tire are suspected.
Some players traveling on the bus smelled smoke, prompting the bus driver to pull over to the side of the road. WNMU head football coach Adam Clark, who was traveling behind the bus, witnessed the bus on fire; an assistant coach with Clark also saw smoke coming from the bus and made a call to alert the bus driver.
“We are all pleased that no one was hurt,” said
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Commissioner Joel R. Smith. “It was refreshing to see so many people pull together to take care of the team, find equipment, and allow the game to be played.”
Bloomfield school bus drivers, who were driving on their after school route, saw the bus engulfed in flames and transported the players and coaches to the high school, where the team waited until the next charter bus picked them up for Durango — five hours later. Bloomfield High School Principal Cody Diehl worked with his athletic director, Phillip Sategna, to accommodate the team. Satenga, a 1973 alumnus of Adams State College where he was a track & field decathlete, had recently restocked his supplies of refreshments, and handed them out the team. The high school was hosting a girls volleyball tournament Friday evening and the BHS girls team received extra support when about 25 members of the WNMU football team cheered them on during their match. Diehl waited with the team at the high school until 11 p.m. when the charter bus arrived.
“They were total gentleman and very appreciative of our hospitality,” Satenga said. “I think we went above and beyond to help accommodate them, and we very happy to help them out, especially in a situation like this.”
Shortly after midnight, the Mustangs rolled into the north end of Durango to their hotel, the Iron Horse Inn, where they were met by the Skyhawks assistant football coaches who helped the team with the check-in process.
Local institutions jumped to the aid of the Mustangs, including their opponent, Fort Lewis. The Skyhawks loaned pads, clothing, athletic training equipment and practice gear, and Durango High School also pitched in with helmets and coaching headsets. On Saturday morning, the Skyhawks gave computer access to the Mustangs coaches to print off wristband cards for the players.
Fort Lewis head football coach César Rivas-Sandoval asked his players to bring an extra pair of shorts and a t-shirt with them to the game so the football players would have clean clothes to wear home.
“It was a great collaborative effort to have the whole community help out Western New Mexico,” Rivas-Sandoval said.
Sodexho also assisted Western New Mexico by feeding them a pre-game meal on campus. Because the game was originally slated for 1 p.m., the team was not planning on eating another meal following their breakfast until after the game. Kickoff wound up happening at approximately
3 p.m.
Fort Lewis College alumnus Jeff Cremers, a member of the FLC Athletic Hall of Fame, facilitated in the efforts of getting 60 pairs of Nike cleats from a Sports Authority store in Denver. Commissioner Smith picked up the cleats and drove them to Durango Saturday morning.
Western New Mexico's assistant athletic director and head golf coach, Kent Beatty, who was heading out of town with his women's golf team to compete in a tournament in Alamosa, Colo., filled his team bus with extra equipment left behind in Silver City from players who did not travel, and met WNMU's coaches in Bernalillo, N.M. Saturday morning.
“I'm incredibly proud of our team and our staff and everyone who came together and provided leadership in helping us get through this adversity,” said Clark.
Even with all the distractions, Western New Mexico was victorious, winning 26-17.
Western New Mexico has ordered new equipment and hopes to have it on campus by this Saturday's home game against Colorado Mines.
