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Louis Gachette on Dorsey, UCF's Plancher


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Plancher's death hits close to home for Immokalee's Gachette

By By CHRIS GIRANDOLA, Special to the Daily News

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

TAMPA — For Louis Gachette, the moment when former USF teammate Keeley Dorsey died is and will be forever seared in his mind.

And those thoughts came to mind after the death of Lely High graduate and UCF redshirt freshman Ereck Plancher after a conditioning drill on Tuesday.

“I was right beside him when everything happened,” the defensive back from Immokalee recalled in graphic detail on Wednesday outside the USF football offices. “I saw everything and it really changed me.

“He power-cleaned up then just dropped the weight and began backing up. I looked at him and was like, ‘Are you OK?’ and then he just fell in that same spot and started shaking. I looked into his eyes and his face started turning blue. So yeah I think about it a lot — constantly at least two or three times a week. A lot when I work out, when I’m around that spot. It definitely changed me forever.”

Dorsey, who played sparingly in eight games, was one of six Bulls to play as a true freshman in 2006, scoring on a 52-yard touchdown run on the final play of his first college game, a 41-10 rout of McNeese State.

In discussing Dorsey, a freshman from Tallahassee who collapsed and died from a cardiac heart disorder during a workout, Gachette expressed remorse over Tuesday’s death of Plancher.

“It’s just another reminder how fragile life is,” said Gachette, who was an All-County quarterback at Immokalee High. “His passing brought back memories of (Dorsey) and it really makes you think about how precious each day is.”

The senior safety also talked in depth about his teammate and good friend, Moise Plancher, a cousin of Ereck and a former member of the Barron Collier football team.

“He’s taking it real hard,” said Gachette, who explained that Plancher had returned home to Naples to be with family. “We both had to go through everything that happened with Keeley last year and now this happens. I’ve talked to him a couple times and I just told him I’ll be there for him whenever he needs me.”

The Bulls began and ended practice on Wednesday with a prayer for the Plancher family. The passing of Ereck Plancher is something that the Bulls’ players can empathize with.

“It’s tough because we’ve been through it and we understand what the players over there are going through,” USF junior quarterback Matt Grothe said. “In addition, we have a member of our family having to deal with it because he lost someone close to him. It’s a situation where we have to rally around (Moise) and be there for him.”

Being on the field on Wednesday was a bit therapeutic for the players.

“Our players have been through (Dorsey’s death) and they’ve had to grow and mature through that event,” USF coach Jim Leavitt said. “They became closer as a family and they bonded because of it.

“That being said, because of their maturity, I haven’t had to address (Plancher’s death) with them. If anybody understands what the UCF community and the family is going through, these players do. They looked to each other and they got strength through that. They know how to go about things with school and practice because they had to endure something incredibly difficult last year.”

Leavitt said that he had his players take two weeks off from school and practice last year to deal with Dorsey’s death. Likewise, he said he would give Moise as much time to heal.

“I’ve talked to him a number of times and he understands how we as a family will be here for him,” Leavitt said.

One of those players is redshirt freshman Quenton Washington, who played at North Fort Myers.

“It’s real tough,” Washington said. “I knew of him and I had heard about him since I’m from the area. It really hits home because of what we went last year. Him being from down that way and him being related to Mo puts things in perspective, too.’’

On Wednesday, the Bulls fourth day of spring practice breathed intensity. It wasn’t because of the cool breeze in the air that whisked away the high humidity from the previous day. It was more so because of what Washington spoke of.

“We’ve experienced this before and there was a long period of grieving and it’s something that’s not easy to comprehend,” said Bulls running backs coach Carl Franks, who recruited Dorsey and tried to recruit Ereck Plancher to play at USF. “It’s about growing strength from each other. I’ve talked to Mo a number of times and it’s been very hard on him. The part of the process of trying to make sense of it is to be with family and when he comes back, to play in the memory of him.”

Perhaps in making sense of it all, Gachette recalled a tattoo that Dorsey had emblazoned across his chest.

“Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not promised.”

“It’s something that all of us remember and carry in our hearts and minds,” Gachette said. “Everybody takes that quote with them. I guess, in a way, it makes us stronger.”

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Good article.

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The coaches and players praying for the Plancher's family before and after practice was a nice tribute to the kid's family and memory. Having been in the same shoes just a little bit over a year ago the players and coaches certainly understand what they are going through.

USF fans have also been gracious with UCiF's fanbase in sharing in their grief, yet despite all the sincere condolences and well wishes, some of those idiots thank us by continuing to call our players thugs, scam artists, etc... They simply have to be the some of the worst fans on the Internet.

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nice article

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Thanks for posting this very touching article.

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Thanks for posting this very touching article.

yet....morons like you call revel in calling all of our players thugs or question kids like Tyrone McKenzie who was forced to transfer to USF WITHOUT a scholarship.  USF fans have shown nothing but class during this tough time and  that is how you thank us? The sentiments are real regardless of what you guys write, but people like you obviously don't get it. Nice job KL...

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CyberBull on ucf message board just 2 days after Ereck Plancher died:

Do you guys only care about a kid after he dies?   Stay Classy Orlando

PS. Apologize to Bulliever who originally started this thread with a well meaningfull article. Sad that CB had to ruin it again.

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CB on ucf message board just 2 days after Ereck Plancher died:

Do you guys only care about a kid after he dies?

Stay Classy Orlando

PS. Apologize to Bulliever who originally started this thread with a well meaningful article. Sad that CB had to ruin it again.

First of all, don't act all surprised, about this article b/c I posted the same article on the UCF board days ago. Secondly, I had several UCF fans email me PRIVATELY to thank me for my kind words. I'm not trying to make myself look good, b/c there were many more eloquent posts. However, I bring it up b/c it's contrary to this picture you are trying to create of another example of USF fans being heartless and cold. Nice try...

The bottom line is that you took what was a rhetorical question out of context, as some of your own fans noted on that thread. As far as ruining/hijaking threads, your body of work in this area is seen all over the BigEast board for all to see.

You obviously don't you consider it bad form to take shots at USF and it's players TWO days after Plancher died despite USF fans were coming out of the woodwork with their condolences?  you realize that a kids don't have to die before you can stop stereotyping them as thugs, scam artists ect.. Similarly, UCF fans are all too eager to have people "understand" when their players are going through a bad time (in this case the worst of times) yet when a kid like McKenzie transfers b/c of his mother's rapidly deteriorating health it's okay to call him a thug and question his transfer? Get a clue...

You are hypocrite, yet we all know that b/c that is your MO.

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for the sake of hurting people, can't we just hold our animosity to ourselves.

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