Has it really been 13 years? It seems like it's only been a couple.
Korey Stringer, a product of Warren, was a 1994 consensus All-American at Ohio State. Kirk Barton called Orlando Pace and him "the best set of tackles that'll ever play at Ohio State." He is probably right.
Stringer was taken with the 24th pick in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. In six seasons, he started 91 out of 93 contests.
On August 1st, 2001, however, Stringer succumbed to a heat stroke suffered during the Vikings' preseason camp. The AP story of his passing is still gut-wrenching to this day:
Stringer, who weighed 335 pounds, vomited three times during the morning conditioning drills in stifling humidity and temperatures in the low 90s. He didn't summon a trainer until the drills had ended, perhaps trying to show he could make it through the day in a league known for its machismo.
Stringer then went to an air-conditioned trailer serving as a makeshift training room on the practice field and lost consciousness. Trainers called paramedics, who took Stringer to Immanuel St. Joseph's-Mayo Health Center. He had a body temperature of 108.8.
His organs failed and he never regained consciousness before dying at 1:50 a.m. Central time Wednesday.
RIP Korey Stringer. You are gone, but Buckeye Nation will never forget your contributions. Legends, as they say, never die.
