Central Virginia Times

HOOS MOVING FORWARD, BUT NOT MOVING ON, AS SPRING FOOTBALL BEGINS

On Tuesday morning, the University of Virginia football team returned to the practice field for the first time in four months – a triumph in itself for a program struck by tragedy in November when three players were shot and killed after returning to Grounds from a class field trip to Washington, D.C.

The sight of tailback Mike Hollins in uniform and running through drills at full speed made a good day even better for the Cavaliers. Hollins was wounded in the Nov. 13 shooting that killed Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry, and spent a week in the hospital before being released.

“They call him ‘Iron Mike’ for a reason,” fellow tailback Perris Jones said after practice, the first of 15 planned this spring.

“His strength and his spirit, his character – it really shows through every day out here throughout workouts and throughout practice,” Jones said. “Mike is actually my roommate, so I spend a lot of time with him outside of the facility as well. And just the way he’s carried himself throughout this tragedy and how he continues to carry himself, it’s surreal. He is strong, man, and his fight every day encourages all of us to continue to fight and to do the best that we absolutely can, because if he can do it, we can as well.”

Hollins, who’s from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, rejoined the team for its winter strength and conditioning program in January, “and every single day he’s just progressed and looked even better and better and better,” safety Antonio Clary said. “So seeing him out here today, it just brought joy to my eye just seeing him play football again and doing what he loves to do.”

Head coach Tony Elliott has marveled at Hollins’ recovery.

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