Former Nebraska football quarterback Tommy Armstrong knows what it’s like to be a hero on the field. Now he’s being called a hero because of what he did years removed from his playing days.
The ex-Nebraska football signal caller is being lauded for his quick thinking and actions just after Christmas at his mother’s house in Gulfport, Mississippi.
Armstrong’s wife, Jaylyn explained to 10/11 News about just what he did and what happened in his mother’s neighborhood. What she said was that things got chaotic quickly but the quick thinking of the former Husker and others saved lives and even allowed everyone involved in a house fire to mostly emerge unscathed.
“We’re sitting in her living room and the neighbors house burst in flames. We run over and I take care of the young girl who punched the windows out to break free,” Jaylyn explained before adding that both Tommy Armstrong and his mother jumped into the burning house in order to try and help others get out.
“Tommy and his mom jump into the burning house to pull the remaining people out.”
It turns out that the former Nebraska football star grew up with some of the people that were in the house that was aflame. He lived in Gulfport with his mother until 2005, when Hurricane Katrina badly damaged his mom’s home. That incident caused him to move to Texas to live with his father.
When talking about one of the people who he helped save, he made it clear that he didn’t feel as though he could sit back and do nothing while a family he had known since childhood was in trouble.
"“I saw a bunch of smoke so I just started grabbing bricks and throwing it through the window. So I crawled in there, grabbed her and got her out. At the end of the day, I was just trying to find her. I’ve known her since I was a little kid.”"
Thanks to the actions of Tommy Armstrong and his family, a group of people will be able to celebrate and see 2023. That’s something the former Nebraska football star should get a ton of credit for from everyone.