A 17-year-old wide receiver has died after he was hit and killed by a freight train just hours after he tweeted his excitement to go to Georgia Tech.
Bryce Gowdy tweeted alongside a picture of himself in his football kit Sunday 8pm: ‘Family matters, can’t wait to get to the ATL soon!’
But at 4am Monday he was fatally struck by Southeast Fourth Avenue and Southeast 10th Street in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
The teen was nervous about moving to Atlanta according to his uncle but his three gym bags were packed nevertheless, another relative pointed out.
He was due to enroll on his scholarship and start next Monday.
A 17-year-old wide receiver has died after he was hit and killed by a freight train just hours after he announced he’s committing to Georgia Tech
‘Family matters, can’t wait to get to the ATL soon!’ he tweeted Monday. Coach offered condolences to Gowdy’s (third from left) mother, Shibbon, and his brothers, Brisai and Brayden, as well as the rest of his family members
Gowdy had a rough upbringing as his family battled financial struggles, his uncle said.
‘He was a little stressed having the weight of the world on his shoulders by going [to a Division I school], and having to leave his two younger brothers and his family in an unstable environment,’ his uncle, Thomas Gowdy told the Sun-Sentinel.
‘As much as he’s dealt with, to get a full ride — that’s unbelievable for where he’s from.’
Gowdy was a wide receiver and defensive back who helped his Deerfield Beach High School team reach the state semifinals this year. He was rated as a four-star recruit.
The Yellow Jackets coach said the entire Georgia Tech football family was devastated by the news of Bryce’s passing.
Georgia Tech wrote in a statement posted to his Twitter account.
Gowdy was hit by a train in Florida 4am Monday. He was set to start school at GT on January 6
‘Bryce was an outstanding young man with a very bright future,’ Coach Geoff Collins posted on Twitter. ‘He was a great friend to many, including many of our current and incoming team members.
‘On behalf of our coaches, players, staff and families, we offer our deepest condolences to Bryce’s mother, Shibbon, and his brothers, Brisai and Brayden, as well as the rest of his family members, his teammates and coaches at Deerfield Beach High School, and his many friends.
‘Bryce and his family will always be a part of the Georgia Tech football family.’
‘He was one of the leaders of the team,’ Dave Brousseau, a Deerfield Beach alumnus still active with the program, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. ‘He was one of the guys who, when they were getting ready pre-game, he was always getting them fired up.’
‘This is just tragic that this has happened,’ his uncle, Thomas Gowdy told the Sun-Sentinel. ‘He said he was gonna be famous. He wanted to be famous.’
‘Bryce was an outstanding young man with a very bright future,’ Coach Geoff Collins posted
‘He was one of the leaders of the team,’ Dave Brousseau, a Deerfield Beach alumnus still active with the program, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. ‘He was one of the guys who, when they were getting ready pre-game, he was always getting them fired up.’
Gowdy is the second Georgia Tech player to die this year.
Defensive lineman Brandon Adams died in March. Atlanta police said Adams was practicing a dance routine when he collapsed suddenly. There was nothing in Adams’ autopsy to indicate foul play and no evidence to warrant a criminal investigation,
Georgia Tech honored Adams through the season by having a different player wear his number each game.
‘He was one of the leaders of the team,’ Dave Brousseau, a Deerfield Beach alumnus still active with the program, said