Death of Darryl Stingley

Eric Tabor
Saturday April 7, 2007

Yesterday while watching ESPN, I saw the on the crawler that Darryl Stingley, a former New England Patriots wide Receiver had passed.

"This is a sad day for all who knew Darryl Stingley," said Patriots Owner Robert Kraft. "I had the pleasure of meeting Darryl on multiple occasions and was touched by his positive outlook on life. He was passionate about his faith and his family and always showed compassion for others. In my conversations with Darryl, he always spoke of the future, not the past. I don't think he ever held grudges and I know that he was uncomfortable accepting anyone's sympathy. He wanted to find ways to positively impact the lives of those around him and did so throughout his life. On behalf of my family and the entire New England Patriots organization, we offer our sincere condolences to the Stingley family."

The connection to the South Georgia Wildcats is his son Derek Stingley is the Head Coach of the Cats.

I learned today that Derek Stingley left for Chicago early Thursday morning after learning the tragic news of his father's death, and will not be coaching the Wildcats for their game this weekend against Louisville.

"You can always tell Derek was very proud of his father," said Wildcats General Manager  Darren McPhail. "He handled his situation well. I think that motivated Derek to play football. Before that happened, Derek was a baseball player. I don't know that if before a certain conversation with his father if he would have every played football."

"Our players understand that and our players want to win. That is why they are here. We really don't see affecting their play on the field. I think they will be a much more spirited group. And after things like this, you learn not to take anything for granted," said McPhail.

McPhail doesn't know if Derek Stingley will return before next Thursday's game at Birmingham. Derek Stingley is on an indefinite leave of absence and the Wildcats do not know when he will rejoin the team.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Stingley family on this tragic loss. The death of a loved one always puts things into perspective.