Chris Gedney

Christopher Joseph Gedney (August 9, 1970 – March 9, 2018) was an American college and professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football for Syracuse University, and earned All-American honors. He played professionally for the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals of the NFL. After his football career ended, he served as assistant athletics director at Syracuse University.

Chris Gedney
refer to caption
Gedney in 2009
No. 84
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born:(1970-08-09)August 9, 1970
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Died:March 9, 2018(2018-03-09) (aged 47)
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:258 lb (117 kg)
Career information
High school:Liverpool (NY)
College:Syracuse
NFL Draft:1993 / Round: 3 / Pick: 61
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:73
Games started:21
Receptions:83
Receiving yards:914
Touchdowns:8
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Gedney was born in Wilmington, Delaware.[1][2] He graduated from Liverpool High School,[3] where he played high school football for the Liverpool Warriors.

College career

While attending Syracuse University, he played for the Syracuse Orange football team from 1989 to 1992. As a senior in 1992, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American.[4]

Professional career

The Chicago Bears selected Gedney in the third round (61st overall pick) in the 1993 NFL Draft.[5] He played for the Bears from 1993 to 1995.[6]

He later played for the Arizona Cardinals from 1997 to 2000.[6] His most productive season came in 1997, where he caught 23 passes for 261 yards and 4 touchdowns.[7]

Life after football

Gedney lived in Syracuse, New York. He previously worked as the Development Liaison for the Syracuse Football Lettermen's Club and was an analyst for the Syracuse Sports Network.

On April 29, 2010, Gedney was promoted to Senior Associate Athletic Director for Major Gifts at Syracuse University.[8]

Death

Gedney died by suicide on March 9, 2018, by gunshot to the neck aged 47.[9] A brain autopsy performed by the Boston University CTE Center and Brain Bank determined that Gedney had had stage II chronic traumatic encephalopathy.[10]

References
  1. Christopher J. Gedney
  2. National Football League, Historical Players, Chris Gedney profile; retrieved February 14, 2012.
  3. databaseFootball.com, Players, Chris Gedney Archived March 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine; retrieved February 14, 2012.
  4. Mayer, Larry. "Ex-Bears tight end Gedney passes away". Chicagobears.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  5. "1993 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  6. Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Chris Gedney profile; retrieved February 14, 2012.
  7. "Chris Gedney, Syracuse star and NFL tight end, dies at 47". citizentribune.com. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  8. Finley, Patrick (March 10, 2018). "Chris Gedney, former Bears third-round pick, dies at 47". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  9. Stephen Bailey, Former Syracuse football star Chris Gedney dies at age 47, Syracuse.com, March 9, 2018, accessed March 9, 2018.
  10. Mink, Nate (July 10, 2019). "Chris Gedney's struggle: The pain he carried, and the pain he left behind". syracuse.com. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
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