Former Gophers football player Charles (Ace) Rogers died after suffering a medical episode while running the Brooklyn Half Marathon on Saturday, according to published reports.
Rogers, 31, went into cardiac arrest Saturday morning and collapsed around eight miles into the 13.1-mile race, according to reports from the New York Post and New York Daily News.
A Gophers spokesman said they had seen the reports, adding: “Charles was a terrific young man who had an infectious smile and personality. We will keep his family and friends in our thoughts as they mourn this tragic loss.”
A safety from Iowa City, Rogers joined the Gophers in 2015 after spending his first two college seasons at Iowa State and a third at Iowa Western Community College. He played three games in 2015, making 11 tackles, but missed 10 games because of injury, and injuries also sidelined him for all of 2016. He was named Academic All-Big Ten that season.
Rogers worked for Verizon and was living with his wife in Manhattan, according to the reports.
Race officials confirmed a 31-year-old man collapsed and later died but did not identify the man by name.
“On behalf of the whole running community, we extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and loved ones,” Rob Simmelkjaer — CEO of New York Road Runners, which organized the race — said in a statement.
