Quarterback Wayne Madkin stepped into Mississippi State’s weight room as an eerie silence fell over the gym.
The space — usually filled with a combination of clanking weights, pop music and the screaming of strength coaches — grew uncannily quiet as the MSU football team prepared for its early morning lift.
There were no televisions in the weight room at the time. Only a radio. Everyone huddled around it. Madkin can’t remember the news anchor’s name. His message, though, remains crystal clear.
At 8:46 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 and crashed it into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City between the 93rd and 99th floors.
The MSU football team huddled around the static, listening in as a second plane hit the South Tower 17 minutes later.
Bulldogs strength coach Mike Grant broke the collective silence.
“We’re going to war, boys,” he said.
Read the full story at charlotteobserver.com.
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