Utah Football Player Ty Jordan Dies at 19

Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah. Photo: Brenton Walker, Wikimedia Commons

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah. — On Christmas night in Dallas, Texas, 19-year-old Utes running back Ty Jordan died after an apparently accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The University of Utah’s head football coach, Kyle Whittingham, said yesterday in a statement, “Words cannot express the devastation and heartache that our team is feeling right now upon learning of the tragic death of our teammate and brother, Ty Jordan. 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.”

According to a Dec. 24 article, Jordan had just been named the Pac-12 offensive freshman of the year. Teammate Tyson Horrocks shared condolences on Twitter, commemorating Jordan’s player number 22 with a home light display.

https://twitter.com/HorrocksTyson/status/1342990029614804992

We knew he would be great before he even set foot on our campus. He was a light, always with a smile on his face. One of the hardest working and most humble guys we’ve seen come through this program. We love you, Ty. pic.twitter.com/mmccuJXmDL

— Kyle Whittingham (@UtahCoachWhitt) December 26, 2020