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The sudden death of the Vikings lineman stuns and saddens his former teammates and coaches.
By DARRELL FRY
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 2, 2001
TAMPA -- The death of Minnesota Vikings lineman Korey Stringer on Wednesday hit home with the Bucs. A half dozen or so played with or coached the Pro Bowl lineman, who collapsed of heatstroke Tuesday in Minnesota.
"I'm probably in shock," said Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson, a teammate of Stringer's in Minnesota for four seasons before joining the Redskins. "I caught wind of it (Tuesday) night; kind of what had happened. Then I got a phone call this morning explaining that he had passed. Your heart goes out to his family, his wife (Kelci). ... He was just a great person, a great friend and a great guy to be around."
Offensive linemen Jeff Christy and Randall McDaniel, who played alongside Stringer for five seasons, declined to talk to the media but issued prepared statements expressing their sympathy and condolences.
"The thing that I remember the most of Korey is how great of a teammate he was," Christy said in the statement. "I was saddened when I heard the news and I would like to extend my condolences to Korey and his family. The guy was on the verge of becoming a great player in the NFL."
Coach Tony Dungy left his defensive coordinator position in Minnesota to come to Tampa Bay after Stringer's rookie season. Dungy recalled picking Stringer up at the airport in Minnesota in 1995 after the former Ohio State star was drafted 24th overall by the Vikings.
"It's quite a shock to all of us," Dungy said. "Our prayers and thoughts are with (Stringer's family and the Vikings)."
Defensive end Marcus Jones, who often was matched against Stringer when the Bucs played the Vikings, said: "When they came in and told us that he didn't come through, my reaction was, 'Come on man, stop playing.' You don't ever think something like this could happen in the NFL. That's the furthest thing from my thoughts.
"It shocked me. I was speechless. I didn't know what to say."
Offensive line coach Chris Foerster was an assistant in Minnesota during Stringer's rookie season.
"The thing I always remember about Korey is that he always had a smile on his face, loved to come to practice, loved to come to work, had a good attitude, good perspective on the game and enjoyed what he did," Foerster said. "He was a typical big, fun-loving offensive lineman. That's Korey Stringer."
Johnson, who depended on Stringer's blocking on passing plays, remembered a man who was typically a calming influence during difficult game situations.
"A lot of times you'd be in the huddle and we couldn't get a first down or something, and during the timeout, he'd sit there and make some joke and just kind of lighten up the whole situation," Johnson said. "The next thing you know you're scoring touchdowns, you're high-fiving with him."
- Staff writers Roger Mills and Rick Stroud contributed to this report.