Christian McCaffrey Memorializes Stanford Teammate Zach Hoffpauir Following Sudden Death at Age 26

Tragedy struck the Stanford University family Thursday when news emerged that former two-sport star Zach Hoffpauir had died. He was 26 years old.

The young man was staying with his father in Arizona, and a cause of death has not been reported.

Hoffpauir had just been hired at Northern Colorado as a defensive backs coach by head coach Ed McCaffrey. Ed's son, Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, took to Instagram to post and emotional a tribute to Hoffpauir, with whom he played ball at Stanford.

View this post on Instagram

Yesterday Heaven gained an angel, and I lost one of my best friends in the world. Zach showed me the way when I got to college. He did things the right way. He taught me how to enjoy life. He taught me how to not give a fuck about what people think about me, and to do it my way. He never lost an argument, or a dance battle, and he said what he meant and meant what he said. I never doubted for a second whether or not he had my back. He was a true friend and a great brother to anyone he knew. He was a walking example of how to care for people, a rare soul. We always talked about living simply when we got older: Hunting, fishing, riding bulls, RVing across the country with @beaukitson (One day we’ll do that). We talked about the little things in life and how to never take for granted a loved one. I’ll cherish all the memories we had bro. I love you and your family and I promise we’ll make you proud. Watch over us. Hug your loved ones extra today. ??

A post shared by Christian McCaffrey (@christianmccaffrey) on May 15, 2020 at 8:07am PDT

McCaffrey shared some kind and inspiring words about his late friend. Hoffpauir was the older of the two, and had a brief career in professional baseball in addition to his football career with the Cardinal.

We are heartbroken for the tragic loss of our brother, Zach Hoffpauir, gone far too soon. Zach lit up every room he walked into, intent on giving his vitality and passion to bring out your best.

Our thoughts and love are with Zach’s family and friends.

Rest In Peace, Hoff ? pic.twitter.com/lAEXjLRv4S
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) May 15, 2020

His death is an absolute tragedy, and McCaffrey telling us all to hug our loved ones strikes a chord during these tough times in the country and around the world. We send our most sincere condolences to the Hoffpauir family and to everyone affected by the death of a young man who had such a major impact on so many lives.