Gamecock great Marcus Lattimore joining college football team on the West Coast
South Carolina football great Marcus Lattimore is back with a college football program.
Lattimore was hired in a mentor and life coach role at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, coach Jay Locey told The State on Tuesday. He and his wife Miranda moved to the West Coast this offseason.
“We’ve added him as a life coach,” Locey said, “obviously helping out as a running back coach, too. But he’s been a very special addition, we think, to our program and has added an awful lot.”
Lewis & Clark is a Division III college that competes in the Northwest Conference.
The former Gamecock had reached out as he and his wife were moving. He had been involved in a smaller role earlier on, primarily addressing the freshmen transitioning to college, but Locey said he made such an impact there, he’s been addressing the team overall more.
Marcus Lattimore held a similar role in Columbia for two years, helping prepare Gamecocks players for life after football. He departed this offseason, and USC great Connor Shaw took over the role.
Lattimore came to Columbia as one of the most decorated recruits in program history. He quickly took the starting job and was named national freshman of the year with 1,197 yards and 17 touchdowns.
But the next two seasons were shortened by knee injuries. He only played in 16 games but scored 22 total touchdowns.
The second knee injury was a devastating one, with multiple torn ligaments and a dislocated kneecap. He was still selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by San Francisco and worked toward returning to the field before ultimately retiring in 2014.
“We are very fortunate to have him with us. I think his life experience is incredible and background, the world that he’s been a part of, character,” Locey said.
After the NFL, Lattimore came back to South Carolina, started a set of camps to work with kids and ultimately worked through a range of passions, coaching on the middle and high school level, mentoring and working with young people. He has often written and studied about the human mind and plans to study counseling at Lewis & Clark.
The Pioneers are in their fifth season with Locey.
The coach said Lattimore has been able to share the wisdom gained from his life, the setbacks and what it took to deal with them. It’s focused on positive principles that players can apply to their lives.
“He’s had the opportunity to work with our players, first-year players in particular, but our whole team, and just kind of share some of his life experiences that would help grow, I would say our players,” Locey said.
This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 11:55 AM with the headline "Gamecock great Marcus Lattimore joining college football team on the West Coast ."
