SAN JOSE — Death typically calls for a moment of silence — time to reflect on the loss of life or acknowledge sadness.
But the San Jose State football team, the home crowd at CEFCU Stadium and, most importantly, Camdan McWright’s family were tired of feeling solemn.
So in lieu of a moment of silence Saturday night before the Spartans’ game against Nevada — their first since McWright’s death in an E-scooter crash with a school bus just over a week ago — the community chose a moment of loudness.
“We’ve had enough solemn this week,” Spartans head coach Brent Brennan said. “We need to celebrate that young man. And what an awesome human being he was.”
To celebrate McWright, the freshman running back from St. Genevieve High School who died just shy of 19 years old, the team turned to music. Before kickoff, McWright’s teammates formed together to make his No. 6 at center field with Lil Jon’s “Outta Your Mind” blasting in the background, the announcer asked the crowd to sing along.
In their first game back since the death of their teammate Camdan McWright, the San Jose State football team forms a number “6” on the field before their 35-28 comeback victory over Nevada, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in San Jose, Calif. (Shayna Rubin/Bay Area News Group)
That was just the beginning of a night celebrating McWright’s life that culminated in a 35-28 comeback victory over Nevada.
During a timeout between first-quarter possessions, a black-and-white video popped up on the stadium scoreboard. A recording of the team singing Bill Withers’ “Lean On Me” played over clips of McWright playing football and moving into his SJSU dorm. McWright’s mother, Tina, and father, Cleve, along with family and friends, stood on the field wearing custom shirts with McWright’s number and name on the back to honor him. Tina held up her son’s helmet as the song played.
The Spartans sing “Lean On Me” together every Friday night, a tradition that began organically back in 2019. Impromptu, they broke out in the song again as they celebrated their triumphant last-minute comeback win Saturday night. The Spartans erased a 14-point deficit and won, scoring twice in the game’s final seven minutes.
“We lost our brother,” quarterback Chevan Cordeiro said. “I don’t have the words, but he was with us today.”
It was fitting that running back Kairee Robinson scored the game-tying and game-winning touchdowns. The senior had taken McWright under his wing in the running backs room. After the game, Robinson found running back coach Alonzo Carter for a long, tearful hug.
In their first game back since the death of San Jose State football player Camdan McWright, assistant coach Alonzo Carter tears up while hugging Kalree Robinson following the Spartan’s comeback 35-28 victory over Nevada, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in San Jose, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
“Camdan was like a little brother to me,” Robinson said. “He looked up to me and stayed at my hip. It’s very emotional for me… To end the way we did was really good.”
A sense of peace lingered after the win that shed light on the trauma this last week had held.
Gail Carmona, whose son Fernando Carmona Jr. plays offensive line for the Spartans, remembers first hearing about the accident. Just a few hours before the team was set to leave for a road game at New Mexico State, her son texted her.
“We were expecting him to send a message saying we’re leaving for the airport,” Carmona said. “And instead he sends a message saying, ‘Mom, there’s been a terrible accident. One of our players may have died. Say a prayer.’”
Flowers mark the 6-yard line at the San Jose State game against Nevada, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in San Jose, Calif., in honor of Camdan McWright, the San Jose State football player who was killed in a traffic accident last week and wore the number 6. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
An hour later, they found out the worst had happened.
“We went from being really excited for the game in New Mexico to overwhelmed with sadness for the family,” she said.
The team postponed Saturday’s game and began to manage their grief. The chaplain and grief counselors were made available and players spent all of Saturday with their position coaches to talk it through.
San Jose State football player Jordan Allen wears a shirt honoring Camdan McWright before a Mountain West football game against Nevada, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in San Jose, Calif. McWright was a San Jose State freshman killed while riding an electric scooter that collided with a school bus October 21. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
“We were thrilled with the way the team responded,” she said, adding that she has ongoing concerns about the players traveling back and forth to the team’s stadium and training facility, as McWright was doing when the crash happened.
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“It’s scary,” Carmona said. “It’s a realization that at any time, anything can happen. Candidly, it also made me wonder if there is anything they can do about that drive between the dorms and the facility they’re building.”
On Monday, McWright’s parents spoke with the team.
“It was really powerful and emotional,” Brennan said. After they spoke, each player waited in line to hug his parents and share a story with them about Camdan.
“The more this team is together it gives us a chance to heal because they care so much about each other and it gets us out of that solemness,” Brennan said. “Camdan would want them to play great football.”
San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan wears a shirt honoring Camdan McWright before a Mountain West football game against Nevada, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in San Jose, Calif. McWright was a San Jose State freshman killed while riding an electric scooter that collided with a school bus October 21. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose State’s Kairee Robinson flips the ball back to the referee after a first down during the Spartan’s game-winning drive in their 35-28 victory over Nevada, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in San Jose, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
A banner honoring Camdan McWright hangs above the visiting Nevada football team before a game against San Jose State, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in San Jose, Calif. McWright was a San Jose State freshman who was killed on October 21 while riding an electric scooter in downtown San Jose. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
A framed picture of Camdan McWright signed by players of the visiting Nevada football team stands on the sideline before a game with San Jose State, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in San Jose, Calif. McWright was a San Jose State freshman killed while riding an electric scooter that collided with a school bus October 21. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
Tina McWright holds the helmet of her son Camdan McWright, the San Jose State football player who was killed in a traffic accident, before the Spartan’s game against Nevada, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in San Jose, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose State’s Dominick Mazotti (81) looks skyward after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against Nevada during a Mountain West football game, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022, in San Jose, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)