As Hurricane Helene tore through the southeastern United States, bringing devastating floods and treacherous road conditions, the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) football team was caught up in the chaos.
Premier Transportation lead driver Mike Boyd and fellow drivers Virgil Davis and Robert Kublai became unexpected heroes during the team’s harrowing journey, as they overcame dangerous roads, rising floodwaters, and communication blackouts to get the team to its Southern Conference opener against The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina.
The Buccaneers’ dramatic story and eventual victory received national attention, in great part due to the efforts of the drivers of three motorcoaches of Premier Transportation, a United Motorcoach Association Member, based in Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“Our drivers are professionals, and they know how to adapt in difficult situations,” said Taylor Thomas, General Manager for Premier Transportation. “We train for all kinds of scenarios, but this one was particularly challenging. I’m proud of how our team handled it. They kept calm under pressure and delivered on our promise to keep the players safe.”
Conditions deteriorated quickly
ETSU football team scheduled with Premier to leave campus for Charleston early Friday. Boyd led the caravan on I-26, mindful of Hurricane Helene’s growing strength but determined to stay ahead of the worst weather. Just minutes after they passed the Nolichucky River, they learned the highway was out behind them, trapping the team on their route with no way to turn back.
“I knew we were in for a tough ride,” Boyd said. “But I’ve been driving a long time, and I was determined to keep those boys safe.”
By 11 a.m., reports came in that I-40 was closed due to severe flooding. Moments later, cell service was lost, leaving Boyd and his fellow drivers without a way to communicate with dispatch.
The drivers continued their journey, hoping to find an alternate route, but the situation quickly worsened as Spartanburg Highway, their next option, also flooded. Right after they reached Asheville, roads were closed. They were forced to pull into a parking lot near the airport where they sat stranded on high ground, surrounded by rising waters and road closures.
As the hours passed, the situation became more desperate. With no cell service or internet, the drivers and team were cut off from updates on road conditions. Boyd remained calm, assuring the players and coaches that they were in safe hands. Around 6 p.m., a group of coaches and state troopers ventured out to find food, eventually coming across an Ingles supermarket. The store, forced to close due to power outages, generously provided the team with fresh food that would have otherwise gone to waste. But that was only a respite.
A bold plan and good news
While the team hunkered down in their buses, Premier Transportation’s operations manager, Jason Cash, was hard at work at the company’s Knoxville headquarters devising contingency plans. The uncertainty surrounding road conditions and the game schedule made the situation even more complex. He was joined by Premier Transportation owners Nick Cazana and Lee Arie, Premier’s CFO, who were devising contingency plans and monitoring road conditions in real time.
“They couldn’t go anywhere for the night, and we didn’t know if the game would even be played,” Cash explained. “We had to stay flexible and find solutions as the situation evolved.”
One of those solutions involved an unprecedented move. Because Boyd, Davis, and Kublai had driven for several hours before stopping, Premier arranged for three fresh drivers to be flown in by helicopter the next morning. Thanks to a benefactor connected to ETSU, the plan was to replace the drivers, allowing the team to continue their journey while complying with federal driving regulations.
“It was unheard of,” Cash said. “We were ready to helicopter drivers into a disaster area to keep things moving. It was a unique plan, and we were prepared to make it happen.”
Fortunately, the helicopter plan wasn’t necessary because around 1:30 a.m. a Good Samaritan knocked on one of the buses, bringing the news the team had been waiting for: I-26 South had reopened. This was their only way out of Asheville, and Boyd wasted no time. The drivers quickly fired up the buses and hit the road, eager to make it to Charleston before conditions worsened again.
“We were taking any option we could get to get out of there, and luckily, we made it all the way to Charleston, and they played the game and won.”
Safe arrival
The drivers expertly navigated through the flooded roads and fallen debris, guiding the team safely toward Spartanburg, South Carolina, and onward to Charleston.
Early Saturday morning, the ETSU players finally arrived at their hotel in Charleston, exhausted but safe. Boyd and the other drivers made sure the players were settled, with a hot meal from Waffle House waiting for them.
After going through an adventure like that, you feel like you’re part of the team. Nobody complained, not even once. Everyone, from the coach to the staff, really stepped up.”
Despite the ordeal, the team was eager to play the game. After consulting with Southern Conference officials, both teams agreed to push the kickoff to 5 p.m. to allow the Drivers and Buccaneers players some much-needed rest.
Despite the long hours on the road, the ETSU Buccaneers took the field that evening and secured a hard-fought 13-10 victory over The Citadel.
The drivers’ professionalism and determination were praised by both the team and Premier Transportation’s leadership. Boyd, an ETSU alum who lives just five minutes from the campus, has a deep connection to the team, which helped build trust during the journey.
“Mike eats and breathes ETSU,” Cash said. “He wasn’t just driving a bus, he was helping his alma mater through a difficult situation.”
Boyd says it’s a trip he won’t forget.
“After going through an adventure like that, you feel like you’re part of the team. Nobody complained, not even once. Everyone, from the coach to the staff, really stepped up,” Boyd said.
In return, Coach Tre Lamb expressed gratitude for the drivers.
“It got very scary on some low ground for a few hours, we had to find high ground. Shoutout to our bus drivers, athletic trainers, staff, officers for keeping everyone calm,” he wrote in a post on X.
