Two-sport star Zach Hoffpauir has passed away at the age of 26 and the reason for his death is not known yet. He was a standout at Stanford and also played two seasons in the Arizona Diamondbacks' minor league system.
He was working as an assistant football coach at the University of Northern Colorado, before his death. He was in charge of safeties. The school announced the death of Hoffpauir, who had earned All-Pac 12 honors as a safety in football. The school said Hoffpauir died in his sleep.
Reports claim that due to coronavirus lockdown rules, he was in Arizona with his father Doug, who is said to have told Arizona Republic the news of the death of his son. But he too did not specify any reasons for the death.
Hoffpauir played safety in football in Stanford and was also a star baseball player. In 2015, he was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 22nd round of the MLB draft. He quit Stanford but returned in 2016 to resume his football career.
Reacting to the news, Bears new head football coach Ed McCaffrey expressed his condolences. He wrote on his Instagram, "I am devastated by the loss of Zach Hoffpauir, a friend to me and my family since his playing days with my son Christian at Stanford."
Hoffpauir hailed from Glendale, Arizona. He is said to have been close with McCaffrey's son, Christian. Christian too took to Instagram to pay condolences to Hoffpauir. He shared a picture of Hoffpauir with the caption: "Yesterday Heaven gained an angel, and I lost one of my best friends in the world. A true friend and great brother to anyone he knew. He was a walking example of how to care for people, a rare soul."
According to an AP report, Hoffpauir worked in the safeties department for four seasons on the Cardinal football team. Apart from three Pac-12 titles, he had also won two Rose Bowls. He was also a part of Stanford's baseball team (outfielder) and Diamondbacks.
His minor league ball career was during the years 2015 and 2018 respectively. He had hit 224 with three homers and nine RBIs in 107 at-bats in rookie and Class-A ball.
