As Charlottesville mourns three UVA football players, we can't forget their lives and legacies

At 6’7, it was impossible to miss Lavel Davis Jr., whether on a football field, in a classroom or walking around Grounds at the University of Virginia. He had a quiet demeanor but the kind of smile that lit up a room.

Devin Chandler was known as the life of the party, dancing and singing in the locker room and making monotonous football workouts a little more fun.

D’Sean Perry was described by his coach, Tony Elliott, as probably “the most interesting man on the team.”

Their lives were tragically cut short in a Sunday night shooting that has rocked the Virginia football program, athletic department and the entire UVA and Charlottesville communities.

In his first season as the Cavaliers’ head coach, Elliott was joined by Virginia’s athletic director Carla Williams for a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Both were visibly distraught. Elliott had to pause a couple times, his voice breaking throughout.

The message was clear: As Virginia heals, the only way forward is to remember the three lives lost and ensure their legacies continue.

“The first meeting was really, really tough. Really, really, really tough,” Elliott said, tears welling in his eyes. “Today was much better. We were able to transition from the pain to finding a little bit of joy and celebrating the lives of Lavel, D’Sean and Devin.”

Over the past three days, friends, teammates and classmates have begun sharing their stories of the three Hoos. Their impact goes beyond Charlottesville, reaching into their hometowns of Dorchester, S.C., Huntersville, N.C. and Miami, Fla. and in Madison, Wisc., where Chandler played before transferring to UVA.

The first smile we saw from Elliott came after local journalist Greg Madia asked him to talk a little about the players they lost. His pain was evident, but so was the obvious joy he felt about being able to coach those young men.

Despite being new to this program, this team and this community, it was clear how much Elliott deeply cared for and loved his players. As the first-time head coach sat at the podium, his pain was palpable. He spoke about his own sons and the impact this has had on them.

“The tough part is my boys and my 9-year-old. He considers these guys his friends, and that’s what’s tough.”

It has been a traumatic week in Charlottesville, a community I’ve been part of for years.

I got my undergraduate degree from UVA and recently completed my MBA at Virginia’s Darden School of Business. I have covered Virginia athletics for over a decade as I transitioned from being a naval aviator to starting a career in sports journalism. I knew Davis and have interviewed or written about both Perry and Chandler. Chandler’s father was a fellow naval aviator, and he flew with friends of mine.

I love Charlottesville. This community has been — and will continue to be — a big part of who I am. Thanks to growing up a military brat and then joining the Navy, I’ve lived here longer than anywhere else. And I’m not surprised by how this community has responded to something so unthinkably horrific.

Mourners placed flowers and letters and tokens at the student entrance of Scott Stadium and along a newly painted Beta Bridge, now emblazoned with blue letters reading “Forever in our hearts” against a bright orange background. Students have visited over the week to write messages along the bridge.

Banners have been hung from fraternities and sororities across Grounds, emblazoned with jersey numbers 1, 15, and 41, and the phrase “UVA Strong.” Thousands showed up on the South Lawn Monday evening for a student-organized vigil as three stars shone brighter than the rest in the sky.

Light in darkness. Thanks to our students for lighting the way. pic.twitter.com/kNOPXz8Y88

— Jim Ryan (@presjimryan) November 15, 2022

I struggled with what to write — if anything — because the pain has been unbearable. There are details about Sunday’s shooting that I’m just not emotionally ready to handle yet. The tears have flowed freely. The gestures from programs and athletes around the country have touched the hearts of everyone in our community. Louisville and South Carolina have already announced their teams will wear helmet stickers for their games this weekend to honor Davis, Perry and Chandler. I’m sure more kindness will follow.

Virginia Tech’s women’s basketball team donned t-shirts that read #HokiesForHoos, and a search of the hashtag on Twitter shows endless support despite a fierce on-field rivalry.

I love covering college athletics because we get to tell incredible stories about incredible people. Unfortunately, that has also made the pain even stronger, especially when it hits so close to home. But what’s clear is that the most important thing to do right now is to share what these three young men were like.

Chandler was the newest on the team after spending two years in Madison with the Badgers. Elliott said he always brought a smile to his face, that he was a happy, happy young man. 

“He is what you wanted in a young person that is at this level, but he just was a big kid,” Elliott said. “Smiled all the time. Loved to dance. Loved to sing. Loved to compete, even though the guys revealed that he wasn’t very good at video games, but he thought he was.”

That personality carried into the classroom, too. Jack Hamilton, an American Studies and Media Studies professor, described what it was like having both Chandler and Davis in classes.

later i helped him declare his american studies major, which he was really excited about. he was an unbelievably nice person, always a huge smile, really gregarious and funny. one of those people who's just impossible not to like. it is so sad and enraging that he is gone.

— Jack Hamilton (@jack_hamilton) November 14, 2022

Virginia defensive tackle Aaron Faumui took to Instagram to honor Perry, sharing a funny text where his teammate said the Sphinx was built by aliens and a photo showing Perry’s goofy side.

Perry also loved art and classical music, a man of many talents.

“I don’t think many people outside of our program understand how special D’Sean was,” Elliott said. “Very, very, very artistic. Could draw. Could shape pots with clay. Loved music. Very, very cultured and well-rounded. Just a great teammate. And he had a sense of humor that was one of a kind that only D’Sean could have.”

Mark Atuaia, the running backs coach at Virginia before Bronco Mendenhall retired after the 2021 season, shared a video of Perry freestyling on a team trip. The footage is a beautiful glimpse into who he was, but also a reminder that the impact of these young men extends far beyond Virginia.

Imma try my absolute hardest to get through the next second, minute, hour, day, month, year, earthly existence without these beautiful souls. De’sean was always down for my kookooness. This is how I wanna remember him while I cope with this new reality #Wahoowa #StillInDenial # pic.twitter.com/br9Rh8s2ZB

— Mark Atuaia (@CoachAtuaia) November 14, 2022

Davis was a light. He was a fierce competitor, but cared so very deeply for those around him. Teammate Chico Bennett Jr., who tore his ACL around the same time as Davis, said he was “…a light that kept me going through my darkest days and I will forever be grateful for you.” On the field, Davis was known for his impressive touchdown catches. To his friends, he was the guy that had strong McDonald’s-over-Burger King opinions and loved fiercely.

Davis was incredibly close with the family of his position coach, Marques Hagans. He frequented their boys’ little league games, spent time at their house and even got a pep talk from Jackson Hagans (the younger of the two) after tearing his ACL. “He has a gentleness about him, but he is passionate about what he believes in,” Elliott said of the wide receiver.  “The other thing that resonated is just how good of a teammate he was and how much he loved his teammates and would do anything for his teammates.”

Over the summer, I went with the Hagans family to see Top Gun: Maverick. Davis joined us, and after the movie, he had questions for me about what it was like going through flight school. I can’t help but chuckle to myself, tears in my eyes, when I think about how he moved to sit on the steps in the theater so that he could fully stretch his long legs.

Lavel came along when I went to see Top Gun: Maverick with the Hagans family this summer. I’ll never forget him having so many aviation questions for me. He was a kind, thoughtful, and engaging young man. pic.twitter.com/S20Iv7pHEr

— Caroline Darney (@cwdarney) November 14, 2022

Things in Charlottesville are going to be much harder before they get any easier, but sharing the stories of these three young men is so important. This column has barely scratched the surface of showcasing the qualities and characters of Chandler, Davis and Perry.

Their lives ended far too soon, but their legacies will live on forever.