Tylee Craft, a wide receiver diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer in 2022, passed away on Saturday, as announced by the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill football program on October 12. In a post on their official X account, UNC’s football program stated, “With love and cherished memories, we share that Tylee Craft has embarked on his journey in the afterlife.” The message continued, “Tylee held immense significance for many and impacted us in profound ways we will always appreciate. He was truly one of a kind, and though he may no longer be with us physically, his radiant smile and boundless positivity will be with us. On behalf of his family and our program, we deeply thank everyone who supported Tylee through his cancer battle. Your support means more than you can imagine.” Following Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech, head coach Mack Brown informed reporters, “We just heard that we lost Tylee Craft this morning.” “It’s incredibly tough to convey such news to a group of young people about one of their closest friends,” he added.
It is with love and fond memories that we announce Tylee Craft has begun his journey on the other side.
Tylee meant so much to so many and affected us in ways we’ll always be thankful for. He was 1-of-1 and, while he won’t be with us in body, he’ll be watching over us with his… pic.twitter.com/UutVS5QSKk
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) October 12, 2024
Craft, a graduate of Sumter High School in South Carolina, played in multiple games during his freshman and sophomore years at UNC as a wide receiver.
In March 2022, Craft revealed on Instagram that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer after suffering from severe back pain, as noted in an ESPN profile about him published in August. Due to his condition, Craft missed his junior and senior seasons and announced his decision to “medically retire” in July. He remained connected to the UNC football program by serving as a student coach. After the game’s October 5 matchup against Pittsburgh, Coach Mack Brown became emotional at a press conference while informing reporters that Craft had been hospitalized that morning, adding, “He’s really struggling. He needs a lot of thoughts and prayers.” Brown stated that the October 7 game against Georgia Tech was dedicated to Craft. During the game, Craft’s family was honored on the field at the end of the first quarter, according to WRAL, an NBC affiliate in Raleigh. Craft’s mother, September, shared a heartfelt hug with Brown, who was wearing a shirt featuring Craft’s No. 13.
The audience at the game was invited to stand and applaud for 13 seconds to honor Craft. His teammates also paid tribute to him, with wide receiver J.J. Jones wearing a jersey featuring Craft’s No. 13 during the game.
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