Football fans have returned to stadiums across the country to cheer on their favorite teams and witness spectacular catches. However, a pair of University of Miami football season ticket holders made a miraculous grab of their own in the stands that saved one of the nine lives of a lucky cat.
During the first half of the Miami Hurricanes home opener against the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Sept. 11, the home crowd’s attention got pulled away from the game by an unlikely sight: a stray cat managed to walk too close to the edge of the upper deck, slipped, and wound up dangerously dangling over the lower deck stands.
Just below the cat, Craig and Kimberly Cromer, who have held season tickets for years, noticed the mood shift within the crowd. Once they realized what was going on, they sprung into action with the first thing they could grab: the American flag they always bring with them to hang in front of their seats.
Craig Cromer, a University of Miami facilities manager, described the scene to NBC Miami. Apparently, some students in the upper deck tried to catch the cat before it reached the ledge.
“They were trying to grab it from above and they couldn’t reach it but they were scaring it downward,” Craig Cromer told NBC. “It hung there for a little while with its two front paws, then one paw, then I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, it’s coming soon.’”
Multiple people shot video of the tense moments leading up to the cat’s fall and ultimate rescue. So, like any great catch highlight, we have various angles to appreciate the teamwork and skill involved in the save.
Twitter user Victor Bermudez shared a wide-angle distance shot that featured commentary from legendary Miami broadcaster Joseph Zagacki.
. @CanesFootball fans are live savers! Literally! And @canesvoice can give play by play to just about anything.
pic.twitter.com/49RQwrhmWa
— VICTOR BERMUDEZ (@vicbermudez) September 11, 2021
An alternate view posted by Twitter account Only in Dade shows an edited video with a closer view of the action, including the students who grabbed the cat after it bounced out of the Cormers’ American flag and hoisted it in the air like Simba in “The Lion King.”
Cat got stuck on the roof at @MiamiHurricanes game and is saved by fans
| #ONLYinDADE pic.twitter.com/lBvN25CnSf
— ONLY in DADE (@ONLYinDADE) September 12, 2021
Following the dramatic rescue, officials from Hard Rock Stadium posted their good wishes to the lucky cat and encouraged Miami fans to make a donation to the local Humane Society.
We are happy that due to the heads up nature of fans in sections 107, 110 & 208 the cat landed safely after a harrowing fall. We wish the cat the best in his remaining eight lives.
We have made a donation to @humanemiami and encourage fans to do so. https://t.co/NAVvDYiO41
— Hard Rock Stadium (@HardRockStadium) September 12, 2021
Humane Society Miami tweeted that it didn’t know the cat’s current condition since it was not brought there for observation. The cat appears to be wearing a blue collar, so hopefully, the kitty made it back home after a harrowing adventure at the stadium.
Meanwhile, Miami Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz told the Miami Herald that perhaps the cat could be a good luck charm for his team. The Hurricanes won Sunday’s game 25-23, but the coach thinks there’s room for improvement.
“I don’t know anything about that or what was going on,” he told the Miami Herald after the game. “I’ll tell you, if the cat can help our red-zone offense, I’ll see if we can get it a scholarship.”
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
