Former Liberty head coach Turner Gill returned to Lynchburg on Saturday and he surprised his former team on the field immediately after the Flames beat New Mexico State to become bowl eligible for the first time in school history.
“I”m glad Turner Gill is here,” Freeze said after the game. “He deserves a lot of credit for laying this foundation to start the process of going into FBS football.”
Gill was Liberty’s head coach for 7 seasons from 2012-2018, compiling a record of 47-35 before retiring from coaching last December. He is currently the Executive Director of Student-Athlete and Staff Development at the University of Arkansas.
yes, @TurnerGillJr surprised his former @LibertyFootball players on senior night and to celebrate the team being bowl-eligible! pic.twitter.com/SnSZgaoXrq
— Margaux Gill (@margauxgill) December 1, 2019
He joined his former players, many of whom he recruited to Liberty, on the field and then followed them into the locker room as he and current head coach Hugh Freeze shared an embrace.
It’s not usual for that to happen in athletics in this day and age, but Gill has been welcomed around the program since Freeze took over for him shortly after his announced retirement. Gill attended several practices in the spring before he took the job at Arkansas.
“It was exciting to see him again,” senior running back Frankie Hickson said of his former head coach. Gill joined President Falwell and former Liberty running back Rashad Jennings in the locker room for part of the post game celebration.
