Senior linebacker Jeff Gemmell has been busy since his arrival at UNC Charlotte. He has earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting, finished as the University’s all-time leader in tackles and is concluding his 49ers football career with a trip to the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl. While he has been with the football program since its early days and witnessed many of the program’s “firsts,” Gemmell said the opportunity to participate in the program’s first bowl experience is extra special.
He reflected on his experiences and the importance of the University’s first taste of postseason football.
You’ve been a part of many of the Charlotte 49ers football program’s “firsts.” What does it mean to be going to your first bowl game?
When I committed to come play at Charlotte, I knew what I was signing for, and I knew there were going to be a lot of first-time experiences. I knew it was an opportunity to write history. My journey the past four years has been everything I hoped it would be and more. But this year has been special. To be able to go to my first bowl game, to be able to have the first winning season, it’s just the things you dream of, especially when you’re a part of starting a program. It’s nice to be the first to do those things and to be able to say that we’ve left this program in a better place than when I got here. It’s something that I take pride in.
You’re graduating this weekend with a degree in accounting. Could you ask for a better graduation gift to cap your UNC Charlotte career than a trip to the Bahamas Bowl?
My dreams really are coming true. I get to graduate college, go to the Bahamas for a bowl game that I’ve wanted to do since I was a freshman, it’s just exciting to see the things I’ve been dreaming about coming to fruition. I could not have scripted a better ending to my time at UNC Charlotte. It’s incredible to have so many great things happening all at once. I get to graduate, which is something that’s incredibly important to me and my family, and I get to go play in a bowl game, which is something my teammates and I have been dreaming about for the last four years.
It’s no secret that the 49ers football team is like a family. How excited are you to share this experience with your fellow teammates?
When Coach Healy first stepped on campus he let us know he wanted a family environment and that we were going to have fun. He told us we would practice hard, work hard, but we’re going to have fun. So I can’t think of a more fitting bowl for this team than the Bahamas Bowl because we’re going to put a lot of work in, but we’re going to make sure we enjoy every single moment. We’ve put the work in all season to get to this point, now it’s time to take care of business and enjoy the fruits of our hard work.