LAS VEGAS (WBBM NEWSRADIO) --A west suburban high school has been hard-hit by the news that one of its recent alumni died Monday.
Ryan Keeler, 20 had played football this past season for the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Rebels after transferring from Rutgers.
The defensive lineman had been highly-recruited from Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park where Tim Racki is Dean of Students and head football coach.
Racki said he's “incredibly stunned" and "devastated" after hearing the news.
He also said that Keeler was a big physical presence at 6’5” and had a “smile that was dynamite and infectious with his happiness.”
“Ryan, aside from his football talent on the field, the impact that he had within our school community was well-known in such a positive way. He had such a big heart.”
Keeler was “incredibly kind” to everybody, Racki added.
Coaches and current players who knew Keeler will be leaning on each other for support, according to Racki.
“I have a lot of our current players that knew Ryan struggling right now, because of the impact and the legacy that he left here while he was at Nazareth and it was overwhelming.”
The Clark County Nevada Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office is still investigating the cause of the student athlete’s death. The office said Keeler was pronounced dead at 4:05 p.m. Monday in Las Vegas.
UNLV’s new head football coach Barry Odom said in a statement that, while he only knew Keeler for a couple of months, “he already stood out to our coaching staff as an incredible person, student and teammate. Our condolences and prayers go out to Ryan’s family as we grieve along with them over this tremendous loss.”
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