Travian Robertson recalls receiving job offer from Shane Beamer
South Carolina recently welcomed Travian Robertson back to Columbia, this time as the Gamecocks’ new defensive line coach.
It’s an emotional return to South Carolina for Robertson, who recalled getting the job offer from Shane Beamer at his press conference.
“Well, like I said, I was on the phone with my wife and I told him the story of the call and she was like, ‘I’m gonna take the boys to track and you got dinner’ and she had the dinner,” Travian Robertson said. “And I was calling her to figure out what to put the food on, like the temperature. And I said, ‘Hold on, Coach Beamer is calling me.'”
As Travian Robertson explained, he didn’t need much arm twisting to jump to South Carolina. In fact, Shane Beamer only needed to call him one time.
“She’s like, ‘Alright, call me back. Call me back.’ Like I said, I was in the house by myself and it took me about two hours to cook that food after he called me,” Robertson smiled.
“So, man, I was excited. My heart dropped and it was the time when the draft was going on or just about to start and I felt like I was getting drafted all over again.”
Travian Robertson, of course, was a standout defensive lineman for South Carolina. After that, he was selected in the 7th round of the NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. Along with the Falcons, he would play for Seattle and Washington.
After his playing career, Robertson got into coaching and has worked as a defensive line coach at Albany State, Georgia State, and Tulane. Now, he’s made the jump to the SEC in the same role.
Beamer made one phone call to Robertson
During Travian Robertson’s introductory press conference, Shane Beamer spoke about the process of hiring Robertson. That included how it only took one phone call to bring him on board.
“Couldn’t be more excited to have this guy here today as well. Truly bringing him home, it’s amazing how many text messages I’ve gotten from former players, teammates of his, guys that played here when I was here thanking me. Excited employees here at the University of South Carolina that knew Trav as a player and now as a coach that are thanking me for bringing him back and all that as well. So home run hire to be able to get him back, he was a great player here as we know, great student, loves Carolina. He is garnet and black through and through, was a great player here and I know he’s gonna be an even better coach and recruiter for us as well,” Beamer said.
“So much respect for him as a person, when he was here as a player and I was an assistant coach, but then what he’s done in his coaching career as well. I’ve got respect for the guys that when they decide to get into coaching they don’t want anything handed to them, they work for it. And he had a great career as a player, played in the NFL, it’s a lot of times guys maybe finish up playing in the NFL and they think they’re just supposed to right to the top in the coaching world, and he didn’t. He earned it, worked as a graduate assistant, worked at Albany State, went to Georgia State as an assistant coach. Did a great job with the defensive line at Tulane last season as well.”