‘Nothing can prepare you for this’: Episcopal Coach Travis Bourgeois dealing with horrific events that resulted in death of a player, hospitalization of another

by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

One of the more indelible images Episcopal football coach Travis Bourgeois will have of Kareem Badawi will be that of his freshman season.

Badawi had a gangly frame, standing 6-foot-4 with plenty of room to grow. The only thing that outshone his potential was an ear-to-ear smile and infectious personality.  

“He loved being out there with his teammates and his peers,” said Bourgeois, who completed his 24th season at Episcopal where he’s spent the past 30 years. “One of the things that all coaches love to watch was the development of a kid throughout his high school years. Not only in football but to watch and mature off the football field, see him at graduation. His future potential was unlimited.”

Sadly, that was cut short in the wee hours of New Year’s morning in New Orleans, when Badawi was one of 14 people killed by a person driving a truck on Bourbon Street in what local and national officials termed an act of terrorism.

“This is not just an act of terrorism, this is evil,” New Orleans police chief Anne Kilpatrick said during a news conference Wednesday.

Badawi, who had completed his freshman year in engineering at the University of Alabama, was one of two former Episcopal High students impacted by Wednesday’s horrific events.

“I grieve alongside family and friends of Kareem in their heartbreaking loss,” Alabama president Stuart Bell said in a statement by the university. 

Fellow Class of 2024 graduate, Parker Vidrine, was among 30 people injured in the incident and was hospitalized and listed in critical condition.

Bourgeois said a prayer service was being held at the school at 6 p.m. Thursday.

“Waking up yesterday and seeing the tragedy hit so close to home,” Bourgeois said. “You start to follow it for a couple of hours and then you’re getting texts from some of your former players there. Then you’re getting texts that one of them is in the hospital and another they couldn’t locate and finally you hear about the tragic loss of Kareem’s life. It’s been a whirlwind.

“Kids ask for answers. Even as an adult, we’re searching for answers,” Bourgeois said. “It’s a close-knit community. We’re Pre-K through 12. There’s a lot of innocent victims. This is personal for everybody.”

In three decades at the private school in Baton Rouge, Bourgeois said there’s nothing in the teacher’s handbook to prepare you for such a jolt as Wednesday’s developments.

He remembered during his first year at the school a senior girl was killed before the start of the school year in an accident, but nothing rose to the level exhibited in New Orleans.

“That’s an accident, this was an act of terror,” he said. “You never know when it’s your time. This is just a shot at everybody. It’s not just Episcopal, but a lot of innocent people were affected by this and that’s the frustrating thing and you don’t have an answer for. 

“Why do innocent lives have to be taken, especially young people?” he said. “Coaches aren’t supposed to outlast their players. You want to coach up your player, you want to see him graduate from high school, take the next step in college, and 10 years from now you want to hear their story. That’s the tragedy of this. There’s not going to be a story.”

Vidrine, whose mother Andrea is a graduate of Episcopal and works in the school’s admissions office, completed his first semester at Ole Miss where he’s pursuing a finance degree.

He was a four-year member of Episcopal’s baseball team and played outfield for Bourgeois, also the school’s baseball coach. 

“He was a program guy which every team needs,” Bourgeois said. “He wanted to be part of the team and did whatever you asked him to do. He wanted to be part of that group.”

The prospects for Badawi were similar in the infancy stages of his football career which included playing on the freshman and junior varsity teams in his first two seasons.

“You think in four years from now, what is he going to look like?” Bourgeois said. “He’s one of those happy-go-lucky kids. He never wanted to be in the spotlight. He just wanted to play a role. He didn’t care about stats and just wanted to do his part on the team, be around his friends that played football.”

Bourgeois saw the natural progression in Badawi’s body frame and aptitude for the game. By the time he was a junior, Badawi was a starter for the Knights at defensive end and was part of a senior class that played in four straight Division III select state quarterfinal playoff games.

“He just did his job,” Bourgeois said. “He always had a smile on his face. He was one of those guys that I didn’t have to worry about what he was doing outside of football. He had that American dream of every high school kid and that was to play football on Friday nights, go on and have success and as a coach, you hope football’s been a small part of getting him ready for the real world out there.

“There’s been plays in football when you’re coaching and you’ve seen it before and you’ve been able to adjust,” Bourgeois said. “One time they’ve got you and you adjust to it. This is something that no play in football could have gotten you ready for. This is a sucker punch to the gut. It really hit home. You’re kind of at a loss for words. Why do innocent lives have to be taken over hate?”

One area Badawi, of Jordian descent, simply thrived in was academics. He was a first-team member on the composite (all classes) LHSAA All-State football team where he held better than a 4.0 grade point average, leading him to Alabama where he was the roommate of another former Episcopal football player, Ethan Ott.

“He had a vision of where he wanted to be, and academics meant the world to him,” Bourgeois said.

Bourgeois said that Badawi returned during the past football season to take in a game and reminisce with friends.

He was easy to point out. He was the one with a big smile.

“He was just as happy as he was in high school,” Bourgeois said. “He looked forward to life and enjoyed being back at school. He enjoyed the college life like every young person his age is doing at this time. Nothing can prepare you for this.”