MINNEAPOLIS - A recently retired Minnesota Gophers football player has died following a 3-month battle with cancer.
The father of the 22-year-old former offensive tackle and Red Wing native Nick Connelly shared the news Thursday via Twitter.
"On Wednesday, September 19, 2018, Heaven needed a right tackle and Nick Connelly got the call," Nick's father Chuck Connelly wrote. "Nick was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma in June, 2018. Burkitt's is a very are aggressive cancer. Nick was winning the battle through aggressive chemotherapy until the cancer became resistant to all chemo regimens. Nick was a beautiful big strong young athlete with a very kind heart and a great smile. Nick enjoyed his friends, hunting ducks, geese, deer and pheasants with his dad and brothers and eating mom's cooking. Nick also enjoyed playing football for his home state team Minnesota Golden Gophers."
The Star Tribune reports that Nick Connelly started five games for the Gophers during the 2017-18 season as a redshirt sophomore before a concussion (his fifth) sidelined him Oct. 7, 2017. He made the decision to walk away from football because of concussions.
"“Our heart breaks and is devastated with losing Nick,’’ his father's statement reads. “We want to thank the thousands of friends, family and complete strangers from across the entire country today that extended their prayers, kindness and love to Nick and our family. Nick and we were amazed and appreciative at the amount of public notice for Nick’s support."
