(Video) Anxious high school players run for their lives after tornado takes over football practice

Theodore High School football players had to run for their lives as tornado starts to gain speed on their field.

(Video) Anxious high school players run for their lives after tornado takes over football practice

Tornado forces Theodore High School football players to run for their lives (image via Open Source/X)

High school football scrimmages can be tough. Tough enough to bring out the best from athletes who are looking to forge their way to the NFL. So, in a scrimmage, expect players to work out on the offensive and defensive schemes. All in preparation for the next high school football season. But not one of the coaching staff of Theodore High School in Alabama prepared their players for this scheme.

A video has been circulating the internet showing Theodore High School, Alabama football players starting to run away from the football field. The reason they scrambled for their safety is because a tornado started picking up pace and was circulating their field. The video continues to capture the panicked young football players running for their lives as the tornado keeps sweeping up dust.

YouTube video

It seems everyone managed to get to safety. That in itself must have surprised the coaches as generally they struggle to get players to do their best. Even 300-pound linemen know to turn into some version of Usain Bolt when something threatens their lives.

Football is played mostly in open spaces. Therefore, they did not take any chances and ran. Had they had the luxury of being inside an NFL dome stadium, it would have been different. But even then, nothing can stop nature.

Nature and its tumultuous relationship with football

As football stadiums are mostly open, so is the possibility of nature playing havoc. For instance, the Dallas Cowboys had to cancel practices recently when 80mph winds raged through Dallas. It threw the power out, forcing the generators to kick in. But more importantly, it caused damage around the city.

Highmark Stadium, home of the NFL's Buffalo Bills covered in snow
Highmark Stadium, home of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills covered in snow (image via NFL/X)

Then there is the snow. Franchises in the northern part of the country have to deal with snow. Most notably, the Buffalo Bills, have an entire team dedicated to clearing out snow from the stands. But it doesn’t stop there, wind chills in open stadiums cause havoc, especially for teams from the south who are not accustomed to that.

All that said, football still goes on. The tornado and strong winds aside, snow, rain and hailstorms aren’t a problem. With the 2024-25 NFL season about to start, it will be interesting to see how teams cope with the weather as the season progresses.

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