Emotions ran high throughout Florida State's regular-season finale against Louisiana-Monroe, and the final moments of the game featured a Powerade bath for interim head coach Odell Haggins.
But Haggins, FSU's longtime defensive tackles coach, wasn't the only Seminoles assistant to receive a tribute.
When the clock hit zero, FSU offensive linemen Alec Eberle and Cole Minshew lifted OL coach Rick Trickett up onto their shoulders and carried him off the field.
Trickett has been at Florida State since 2007, and his tenure is likely coming to an end after the Seminoles' bowl game. As the linemen carried him toward the locker room, Trickett covered his face with his hat as he was overcome with emotion.
Trickett asked to be put down just in front of the student section so he could jog back into the locker room for perhaps the final time.
“That was special,” Eberle said. “Coach Trickett brought me in. I was an under-recruited guy, and he took a chance on me. A lot of other guys that were under-recruited guys, he took a chance on us. He put so much work into us, waking up early, he stays late.
“We don’t know where he’ll be next year, he doesn’t know where he’ll be next year, so we got the chance to carry him off the field that last home game and maybe his last game at Florida State — the guy’s been here for so long. And like I said, he took a chance on us and we thought it would be good to carry him off the field and show our gratitude towards him.”
