What Miami football star did for his mother, her comments, his car and that first pitch
Miami Hurricanes soon-to-be sophomore defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. is a special football player. After a dominating Miami Central High School career and one spectacular UM season, that much is clear.
He’s also a special son.
With the help of NIL money, Bain, the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and consensus freshman All-American who regularly discusses his love for family, gifted his mother Lachande a 2023 Cadillac Escalade before Christmas and after her birthday.
On Monday, after UM’s first spring practice session, Bain was asked about the shiny, black gift — complete with a giant gold ribbon — that was chronicled on social media.
“That was definitely special,’’ Bain, 19, said. “That’s something every kid dreams about every day. That’s probably their whole goal, the main reason why they work so hard. For me to do that, especially at such a young age, I couldn’t even believe it.
“It was like ‘Damn, I’m actually going through with this.’
Lachande Thompson, 48, a correctional officer the past 26 years at Everglades Correctional Institution in Miami-Dade County, on Tuesday relived for the Miami Herald the moment she discovered the Escalade.
Surprise!
“They were getting ready to go to Rutgers for the bowl game and I was told by my children they’d be taking me to lunch,’’ Lachande told the Herald of Rueben and older siblings Reggie —a UM graduate assistant — and Rushonnah. “When I walked outside I saw the children before I saw the car and thought, ‘Why would all three pick me up just to go to lunch?’
“Then I saw the car, asked if it were for me and kind of lost it.
“It has been amazing,’’ she said of the SUV. “It’s like floating on a spaceship.”
Bain said Monday that he “wanted to make sure” his mother got a new car before he did.
“Shoot, I don’t even got a car yet.’’
He doesn’t own one, that is. Bain’s mom said her 2013 silver Honda Accord, which “takes a licking and keeps on ticking’’ has about 214,000 miles on it. “It still cranks up and the air condition works, so I’m letting Rueben drive it,’’ she said.
All-around achiever
Last year, Bain played in all 13 games, amassing 44 tackles, 12 1/2 tackles for loss, a team-leading 7 1/2 sacks, one pass breakup, four quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles.
He’s also making A’s in the classroom and throwing out first pitches at baseball games.
‘Look momma,’ Bain posted Feb. 1 on the social media platform X, accompanied by an emoji of hands throwing up the U. Below his tweet was a list of the 13 UM players named to the All-ACC Academic Football Team. Bain, naturally, was one of them.
“Everybody sees him as this amazing football player, but to me he’s just my baby,’’ Lachonde said. “So I’m not surprised at his accolades. Since elementary school, he wanted to be the first to read, the first to answer questions right, the first to complete an assignment. He’s just a go-getter.”
First pitch
Last Friday, Bain threw out the first pitch before the Hurricanes played Florida in baseball. The ball went high and wide and bounced off the catcher’s extended glove.
“It was a little... a little... a little different,’’ Bain said Monday, laughing. “It didn’t go how I thought it was going to go. But it was definitely a great experience, something I look forward to doing again.
“I appreciate the baseball team for letting me do that.”
He conceded that he didn’t practice before the pitch. “That’s why I looked like that. I feel like if I was warmed up a little bit it would have looked a little better and been on the dot.”
Bain’s mother was at the game with his family.
“It was amazing to me,’’ she said of the errant first pitch. “That’s my baby. Everything he does is amazing. The catcher should have jumped higher.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2024 at 2:01 PM.
