Lane Kiffin takes newspaper ad thanking Wisconsin for hurricane hospitality

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer
Florida Atlantic head coach Lane Kiffin looks up from the sidelines during an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017 in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Florida Atlantic head coach Lane Kiffin looks up from the sidelines during an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017 in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Florida Atlantic and coach Lane Kiffin are grateful for how Wisconsin helped the team during Week 2.

As Hurricane Irma was bearing down on Florida, FAU went ahead and traveled to Madison for its game vs. the Badgers. FAU stayed in Wisconsin until Wednesday before traveling back to the state.

Friday, the school and Kiffin took out a full-page ad in the Wisconsin State Journal thanking the school for its hospitality. Wisconsin allowed FAU to use its facilities and helped with lodging while the team was in the state.

“Dear Badger Nation, Thank you! You have opened your hearts to our football program for the past six days in our time of need. Every single person on campus and in the community was kind and courteous. The Badger football Team even shared their home with us and made our stay as comfortable as possible. We are forever indebted to the Wisconsin Athletic Department, Athletic Director Barry Alvarez and Head Coach Paul Chryst for their collective generosity. We wish you nothing but the best of luck with the rest of your football season. On Wisconsin!”

Florida Atlantic athletic director Pat Chun told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel over the weekend that the team used every seat on its 190-seat charter flight to Wisconsin. Coaches’ families went on the trip and the team took 17 more players than it normally does for road games.

“We were at a point when all the cancellations happened that if we would have put the brakes on our game, we’re going to put a bunch of young people left with empty gas tanks,” Chun said. “You know there’s gas shortages in South Florida. And with really no plan. At that point, we were committed to going, even with the cancellations simply because at that stage of the game, the traffic, the gas, we had to leave.”

FAU, which lost to Wisconsin, is set to play Bethune-Cookman at home on Saturday. The team’s stadium didn’t sustain any damage during the hurricane.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!