VACAVILLE, Calif. — A Vacaville firefighter and Dallas Cowboys fan is making headlines after cameras caught him on the phone looking unamused ahead of his team's loss in Santa Clara Sunday.
The NBC Sunday Night Football broadcast showed Eugene Hernandez talking on the phone in the 4th quarter as the Cowboys faced the San Francisco 49ers.
He was shown on TV right after a touchdown that put the 49ers up 34-10. Little did he know he would become a viral meme almost instantly.
"My phone was blowing up at the game, and it was different people calling to tell me that I was on television," said Hernandez told ABC10. "As I was on the phone, I looked up at the jumbotron and saw my face on the phone. And I just looked at it and was like, 'Man, that's going to be an instant meme.'"
People poked fun at the Cowboys' poor performance as they lost the game 42-10.
Hernandez joined in on the fun, captioning the photo on Facebook "I had enough coach put me in!"
"Once I hung up the phone, I located the footage, and then I just started making my own memes during the third quarter of the game," said Hernandez. "Then, so did everyone else around me."
In addition to being a 'die-hard' Cowboys fan his whole life, Hernandez is a devoted firefighter in Vacaville and showed his pride through his unique fan gear.
"My firefighter helmet — I have one and so does my father-in-law who's a big Niners fan," said Hernandez. "I got the shield custom-made for Dallas Cowboys and he has one almost identical, but it's for the 49ers."
The Vacaville Firefighters Association posted on Facebook, sharing the photo of Hernandez, dubbing him the "Cowboys Phone Guy." Hernandez wore a Cowboys jersey, matching gloves, and a custom Cowboys-themed firefighter's helmet.
"If you think the internet has been harsh on him, just wait until he returns to work with all of our members who are 49er fans," the association wrote.
The firefighters association asked commenters to guess what he was saying on the phone, wrong answers only.
“Is it too late [to] jump on that 49ers bandwagon, or do I have to wait until next season?” Craig Tomlinson commented.
"He was definitely saying that Dak Prescott is an excellent passer for the Niners," another user commented.
"Calling for [a] rescue team to come get him out of that dangerous situation when the game is over," Ashely Jamason commented.
"I kind of always wanted to go viral for something, but never knew what it was," said Hernandez. "I'm just glad it's something like this and it's not something that's embarrassing or humiliating or something crazy like that."
Despite the Cowboy's loss against the 49ers, Hernandez remained in good spirits amid becoming a viral meme to represent that game.
"We are still them boys," said Hernandez. "And we'll always be them boys."
Watch more on ABC10
