ARLINGTON, Texas — Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh praised quarterback Justin Herbert and other players who were stuck in an elevator at the team hotel in Dallas for two hours Friday night.

Harbaugh said Herbert was one of “11 or 12 of our players” on the rise, along with Jeri Fouts, the wife of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Chargers TV analyst Dan Fouts.

Dallas Fire-Rescue assisted all the trapped people by lifting them through ceiling panels to an adjacent elevator. Before the rescue, a technician tried unsuccessfully to get the elevator going.

Firefighters said the elevator was stuck somewhere between the third and 15th floors at The Westin in downtown Dallas, about 15 miles from the Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington.

The Chargers won the preseason game 26-19 on Saturday. Herbert and the other Chargers starters did not play. LA opens the regular season on Sept. 8 at home against the Las Vegas Raiders.

“You get into situations like that and it’s a test of willpower,” Harbaugh said. “I was proud of every one of the men and the two women that were in that elevator. That’s a victory. You feel good about yourself. You were challenged. It was a test of willpower and you either pull it down or you pull it in.”

The coach said he was just short of being in the elevator that was stuck and that he saw everyone as they came out of the rescue operation.

“And it was hot,” Harbaugh said. “Everybody was sweating out of the elevator and some of them had their shirts off. Justin Herbert, his hair was a little wet. But his shirt was completely dry. That was another thing that blew me away.”

Harbaugh said Jeri Fouts and several players, including some rookies who were among those included, were impressed with Herbert’s composure.

“‘Justin Herbert is a leader. He was a rock. Kept everybody calm,'” Harbaugh said, quoting the players. “And everybody kept their calm.”

Harbaugh confirmed that he invited Dallas firefighters to the team dining room for dinner after the players were rescued.

“Without the Dallas Fire Department, it could have been a lot worse,” Harbaugh said. “It could have been a lot more hours. Who knows how it would have turned out.”