As graduate running back Harrison Waylee raced 97 yards down the field for a school record third-quarter touchdown Saturday, his pristine, white cleats trod over three important numbers. Those numbers, meticulously painted on the Scott Stadium grass a day before, existed not as yardage markers. Those numbers — 1, 15, 41 — meant much more.
This meaning was evident Saturday, which marked Virginia football’s third annual U.Va. Strong Day, a celebration honoring the Cavaliers who lost their lives three years ago.
Back in 2022, Coach Tony Elliott’s first year with the program, Virginia football was confronted with the unthinkable. Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry — three Cavalier players — lost their lives in the November 2022 shooting. Virginia track and field alumna Marlee Morgan and former Cavalier running back Mike Hollins also sustained serious injuries from the same event.
Within the University, everything stopped. Former University President Jim Ryan cancelled two days of classes. Virginia football did not play either of its final two games of the season. And as the Cavaliers slowly undertook the healing process, Elliott promised that Davis Jr., Chandler and Perry would not be forgotten.
“One thing I wanted from us as a program is to make sure their legacies are visible every time we step on the field,” Elliott said in a 2023 interview, before the team’s first game since the shooting.
Those legacies are visible through the “1, 15, 41” adorning both 25-yard lines. But that’s not all. Saturday, the families of those killed — along with Hollins, now a graduate assistant with the program, Morgan and their families — stood at midfield before the game for the coin toss.
They wore the white shirts given away to fans, sporting the “U.Va. Strong” message. Junior receiver Suderian Harrison, freshman receiver Dillon Newton-Short and senior kicker Will Bettridge — in their jerseys numbered 1, 15 and 41 — led Virginia out of the tunnel. Harrison carried an orange flag that read “U.Va. Strong,” featuring the three numbers with the initials “LD”, “DC” and “DP” below.
For the Cavalier program, this game meant more than most others. It was a culmination of a hard week for many within the program as they thought about the theme of this game.
“God is good,” Elliott said after the win. “It’s been a very challenging week for a lot of folks within the program, especially the folks that were here back in November 2022.”
That extra weight made Virginia’s 55-16 drubbing of William & Mary so much more meaningful. Yes, the Cavaliers took home a must-win game against an FCS opponent, doing so in dominant fashion. Such a task is not always easy.
Virginia now enters crucial conference play not on the somber note of an NC State loss, but instead on that of a 39-point victory. But even with all the important, season-defining football takeaways from Saturday’s game, its true meaning lies off the field entirely.
“Everybody wanted to have a day like today in remembrance of Lavel, Devin and D’Sean,” Elliott said.
Much of the roster was not here during the tragedy in 2022, but such a strong desire within the locker room to honor Davis Jr., Chandler and Perry persists. After all, the topic is far from unknown amongst players — inside the Hardie Football Operations Center stands a display with three mannequins, wearing 1, 15 and 41 jerseys. Elliot further discussed with players the significance of the upcoming game at Monday’s practice.
“I addressed it with the team, letting them know just the importance of this game in particular,” Elliott said, “but more importantly, the legacies that we have a responsibility to carry forward.”
For graduate defensive lineman, Daniel Rickert, a transfer from Tennessee Tech, playing for the Cavaliers is synonymous with supporting those legacies. As a newcomer, Rickert saw his role as a supporter for those here in 2022.
“That’s kind of what it was for me — just coming here and being what I needed to be for the other guys that were here when [the shooting] happened,” Rickert said.
Many newcomers have also learned about Davis Jr., Chandler and Perry through conversations with Virginia veterans. To Jackson, who was a sophomore three seasons ago, carrying on that legacy happens through discussion.
“The thing that I try to do when I get the chance is talk about the qualities of Lavel, Devin, and D’Sean,” Jackson said. “... Letting guys know that weren’t here what they're a part of and what this program is about.”
Elliott lauded the responsibility his locker room took upon itself.
“[I’m] super proud of the staff, super proud of the players in the locker room for taking ownership of something that they really didn’t know or understand,” Elliott said.
That ownership culminated in a 55-16 victory. More importantly, however, it fostered a celebration of life — a carrying-on of the legacies of three lives lost.
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