Former Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong Jr heroically saves neighbor from fire

Monday night, a fire broke out in Gulfport, Mississippi. That’s where former Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr.’s mother lives, and the fire happened next door to her house.

Armstrong was visiting that night, and he sprung into action.

Armstrong and his mother helped rescue the family from the burning home and he’s being hailed as a hero for doing so. He got his neighbor out of the house, right next door to where he grew up.

“@Tommy_Gun4 and his mom are heros [sic],” Armstrong’s wife, Jaylyn, tweeted. “We’re sitting in her living room and the neighbors house burst in flames. We run over and I take care of the young girl who punched the windows out to break free, Tommy and his mom jump into the burning house to pull the remaining people out.”

Armstrong explained why he didn’t hesitate to help during an interview with WLOX-TV, saying he knew he had to jump in and help his long-time neighbor, who he said he knows well.

“I saw a bunch of smoke, so I just started grabbing bricks and throwing [them] through the window and realized they were trying to get out of the back right window,” Armstrong said. “So I crawled in there and grabbed her, picked her up and drug her to the window. We got her out. At the end of the day, I was just trying to find her. I’ve known her since I was a little kid.”

Although some people in the home went to the hospital for evaluation, no one was seriously hurt, according to reports from the scene. No cause of the fire was announced as of publication.

Tuesday morning, after the events unfolded, Armstrong took to Twitter with a message after such a scary scene.

“Hug your family extra tight and always tell them how much you appreciate them,” Armstrong tweeted. “Life is too precious.”

Armstrong played at Nebraska from 2013-17 after redshirting the 2012 season. With the Cornhuskers, he totaled 8,871 yards and 67 touchdowns before heading to the NFL as an undrafted free agent. After a stint on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad in 2017, he bounced around some other football leagues and currently serves as an assistant football coach at Lincoln North Star High School, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.