Admired for his play on the football field and his character off of it, Houston Baptist Linebacker Garrett Dolan was found dead Sunday afternoon in the courtyard of his apartment complex.
Dolan, who was merely 23-years old, appears to have fallen off the roof of his building after local authorities discovered clothing as well as alcohol on his roof.
Here are more details courtesy of the Houston Chronicle.
According to Houston police, Dolan was found dead about 2:30 p.m. by the property manager at a complex in the 2700 block of Travis. Friends told police they had last seen Dolan at a Midtown club around 1 a.m. Sunday. It was unclear how long he’d been in the courtyard before his body was discovered.
Police investigation is pending an autopsy by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Dolan was a star football player at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu before coming to Houston to join a brand-new HBU football program in 2013.
“All of us at HBU mourn the death of Garrett Dolan,” HBU president Robert B. Sloan said in a statement released Monday. “He was an outstanding student and athlete. We ask for prayers for the students, staff and faculty who knew him best and especially for his family.”
Steve Moniaci, the Houston Baptist Director of Athletics, released the following statement after the tragic news.
"The entire HBU community is grieving. We pray for Garrett Dolan; his family and friends; and for his teammates and classmates; as we all work to understand this loss."
~Steve Moniaci, HBU Director of Athletics pic.twitter.com/dvn2TydA6n— Houston Christian University (@HouChristianU) May 7, 2018
Dolan had ambitions of continuing his playing career professionally after completing his senior season. Among his on field accomplishments, he served as a member of Houston Baptist’s first ever recruiting class in 2013 and later became the program’s first All-American at Linebacker.