A DePaul University soccer player was found dead in his dorm room Monday, according to the college and the Cook County Medical Examiner.
Chase Stegall, 20, was originally from Atlanta and was sophomore on the men’s soccer team. DePaul athletics director DeWayne Peevy and men’s soccer coach Mark Plotkin said Stegall was a “dedicated teammate and kindhearted friend.”
“His loss will be deeply felt across our entire Athletics and university family, and his memory will forever be a part of DePaul University,” they said in a statement.
In a message to the DePaul community, President Robert Manuel said Stegall was known for his “warmth, strength of character, and vibrant presence.”
An autopsy to determine the cause and manner of his death is scheduled, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
According to a post written by Stegall published on the DePaul website in February, he had a history of seizures. In the post, he described bouncing back from injuries and being supported by his coaches, teammates, family and friends.
“My teammates and friends constantly checked up on me, too. They’d helped me get to the hospital, and sent me texts to make sure I was doing OK,” Stegall wrote. “Their kindness, their care, stayed with me.”
Stegall, a midfielder, started playing soccer at 3 years old, according to the post. He was offered a spot on the team after Plotkin watched him at a showcase in California.
After a “challenging” first year on the team where he didn’t get playing time, he bounced back for a strong sophomore season and described scoring his first goal as “one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.”
“I’ll never forget it,” he wrote.
His sophomore year, Stegall played in 16 of the team’s 17 games and saw 369 total minutes of playing time, according to DePaul Athletics.
Stegall was trying to prioritize mentoring his younger teammates and had plans for his role on the team to continue to expand, he wrote in the post.
Stegall has one brother, Collin, and is the son of Darlene and Milton Stegall, who played in the NFL for three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Canadian Football League for 14 years with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“Chase was a bright and talented young man with a promising future, and his loss is felt deeply across our entire Blue Bombers family,” the Blue Bombers posted on Instagram.