His hometown is always listed as Orange, but he attended Bridge City High School. He was a year ahead of me there; my interactions with him were limited to a few memorable encounters on the football practice field (I was on the JV scout team) and we were teammates on the varsity basketball team. He was obviously a standout in football but he was also All-District in bball. He was 6'6" and probably 250 lbs but he was no clumsy lummox; he played the high post and had a nice soft touch from 15 feet as well as some solid low post moves. Most importantly, he had a competitive pride that is often missing from high schoolers blessed with physical gifts.
As an 18 year old stud athlete with the world before him he could have certainly been the world's biggest asshole, but he wasn't. Taking everything in balance, he was a decent enough guy. I can't say that I knew him well, and I haven't seen him in the 20 years since he graduated high school. But I certainly followed him at UT and then with the Broncos and Falcons. I was always glad for the success he had. And with this news I'm sad that things appeared to fall apart for him.
