On September 11th, 2001, former Boston College lacrosse player Welles Crowther went to work in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. A youth volunteer firefighter who had a dream to join the FDNY one day, Crowther called his mom to let her know he was safe after the second plane hit his building.
After the impact, Crowther led a group of people from the 78th floor down the stairs to safety – but instead of leaving the South Tower, Crowther went back up to help more survivors. He assisted another group down the stairs, saving as many as 18 lives in total, and went back up. To many of the injured he helped that day, he was known as “the man in the red bandana,” for the signature bandana he carried for most of his life.
ESPN’s touching feature on Crowther’s heroism, written by Tom Rinaldi, is a must watch.
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