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BREAKING NEWS: SaberCats' Kirton Dies Suddenly

Andy Lopusnak
Tuesday May 29, 2012


San Jose SaberCats fullback Johnie Kirton passed away yesterday (Monday, May 28). Details of his passing were not disclosed. His death comes two days after he scored the game-winning touchdown in the SaberCats' 84-77 overtime win over the Chicago Rush.

"It is with great shock and sadness that we confirm that Johnie Kirton has passed away," said San Jose owner/head coach Darren Arbet via the SaberCats' official press release. "He was such a great kid, and in the short time he was in San Jose he was such a valued member of our organization’s family. Johnie was a great team guy and hard-nosed player, and he will be sorely missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Johnie’s family in this difficult time."

Kirton was a three-year AFL veteran and began his Arena career in 2010 with the Arizona Rattlers, where he had three rushing touchdowns as a rookie. Last year, he set Rush franchise records in rushing yards (365 - fourth most in the AFL last year) and eighth in rushing touchdowns (14 - eighth most) as a member of the Chicago Rush. Kirton began the 2012 campaign with the Rattlers before being traded to the SaberCats after FB Tommy Taggart was placed on injured reserve. In two games with San Jose, Kirton posted five rushing scores, including three against his former 2011 team this past Saturday, including the game winner in overtime.

The league also issued a statement about Kirton's sudden passing.

"The Arena Football League is deeply saddened by the news that we’ve lost one of our players this morning. Johnie Kirton, 26, made lasting memories over three seasons with the Chicago Rush, Arizona Rattlers, and San Jose SaberCats. Information about his passing is limited at this time, but we hope that everyone will respect the privacy of the Kirton family and all those who knew Johnie as his loss is grieved."

This article will be updated with more details were they are available.

The SaberCats (8-3) will honor Kirton's memory by wearing helmet stickers with his number 37. San Jose's next game is this Saturday at the Milwaukee Mustangs (3-7).

UPDATE: 3:30 PM Eastern Time (5/29/2012)
According to InsideBayArea.com, Kirton was found Monday evening at a hotel in Santa Clara (outside of San Jose) by a teammate after Kirton's girlfriend was concerned because she couldn't reach him.
 
SaberCats quarterback Mark Grieb told InsideBayArea.com that, "we're just stunned. One minute you're playing with a guy and then the next you hear that this has happened. He was such a good guy who really fit in well with the team."

 

Johnie Kirton's player page: http://www.arenafan.com/players/Johnnie_Kirton-10925/

Condolences message board thread: http://bit.ly/jkirton


 
Andy Lopusnak is an 11-year AFL front office veteran, spending time with the Tampa Bay Storm, San Diego Riptide and Grand Rapids Rampage. He works as a statistician for NFL and college sports for CBS Sports and is a freelance photographer. Lopusnak received two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of South Florida and has been a fan of ArenaBall since its inception.
The opinions expressed in the article above are only those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts, opinions, or official stance of ArenaFan Online or its staff, or the Arena Football League, or any AFL or af2 teams.
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