Utah Star Running Back Ty Jordan Passes Away on Christmas Day

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The University of Utah posted earlier today that Ty Jordan, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, has passed away. Officers in Denton, Texas responded to a shooting call at 10:38 PM ET on Christmas night. 

They reportedly found one victim who suffered from a single gunshot wound, and applied life-saving measures until he could be taken to a hospital. Jordan was pronounced deceased at the hospital a few hours afterwards. In the preliminary investigation it seems that Jordan had accidentally discharged, and thus accidentally hitting himself. 

Ty Jordan had accounted for 723 all-purpose yards and rushed for 468-yards and six touchdowns in his last three games this year. Jordan had lost his mother to breast cancer on August 14th of this year, and had dedicated his season to her. This year he became the first Ute to earn Freshman of the Year honors in over 20 years. 

“Ty’s personality and smile were infectious and he made a huge impact on our program in the short time he was with us…He leaves an indelible mark on each of us and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. From the bottom of our hearts, all of us in the Utah Football Family want to say we love you Ty and may you rest in peace.” – Kyle Whittingham

Schlabach, M. (2020, December 26). Utah Utes RB Ty Jordan, Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, dies. Retrieved December 26, 2020, from https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/30600621/utah-utes-rb-ty-jordan-pac-12-offensive-freshman-year-dies

This is obviously not only a devastating loss to friends and family, but also the Mesquite community he grew up in. Before committing to the Utes, Jordan was a three-star running back for West Mesquite High School, where he had over 3,100 total yards and nearly 40 total touchdowns in his career. He had over 20 D1 offers and visited Tennessee, Texas, USC, and Utah before committing to the Utes on Dec. 10th 2019. 

Rest In Peace Ty