SoFla Football Standout Killed in Colorado Crash

University of Wyoming freshman Ruben Narcisse killed in accident

A South Florida football standout who was just beginning his college career at the University of Wyoming was killed and three of his teammates injured in a car crash in Colorado early Monday.

Ruben Narcisse, a freshman linebacker who was from Hollywood and was a star at Chaminade-Madonna College Prep, was killed when the driver of the pickup he was riding in fell asleep and the truck drifted off the road, according to the Colorado State Patrol.

The truck was heading northbound on a highway about six miles south of the Wyoming border at about 5:30 a.m. when it veered off the left side of the road, ran into a tree and rock embankment and rolled over.

Narcisse was ejected from the car and died. He had taken off his seatbelt to get comfortable in the back seat, Narcisse's former high school football coach Tim Tyrrell said he was was told by players.

Teammate Trey Fox, 19, was behind the wheel. Also injured were Christian Morgan, 18, and J.J. Quinlan, 19. Morgan's injuries were called serious but not life-threatening. Fox and Quinland were treated and released from the hospital.

Investigators said alcohol and drugs aren't believed to have been factors in the crash.

The 19-year-old Narcisse had been a team captain for the Chaminade-Madonna Lions, taking them all the way to the state semifinals his senior year.

Wyoming coach Dave Christensen called the accident a "terrible tragedy, and a terrible loss."

Narcisse hadn't played in Wyoming's 28-20 win over Southern Utah on Saturday.

"The loss of any student saddens us immeasurably," University President Tom Buchanan said in a statement. "The entire university community grieves his loss."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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