DePaul announces death of men’s soccer player Chase Stegall at 20: ‘His loss will be deeply felt’

DePaul University announced the death of men’s soccer player Chase Stegall on Monday. He was 20.

The university confirmed Stegall’s death in posts on social media, saying it was “devastated” by the loss. DePaul released a statement in those posts, which read:

“We are heartbroken by the unexpected loss of Chase Stegall, a cherished member of our community, dedicated teammate and kind-hearted friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with Chase’s family, friends, teammates and all who loved him. In the coming days, we will support Chase’s family and teammates through this devastating time. His loss will be deeply felt across our entire Athletics and university family and his memory will forever be a part of DePaul University.”

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Stegall died in his residence hall Monday. DePaul did not provide his cause of death.

Stegall was the son of former NFL wide receiver Milt Stegall, who played three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. Following the 1994 NFL season, Stegall joined the Canadian Football League, where he went on to have a 14-year career. Stegall was a nine-time All-Star in the CFL and won the league’s Most Outstanding Player award in 2002, when he scored 23 touchdowns. In 2012, he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

The CFL also released a statement on Chase’s death. It read:

“It’s difficult to imagine a more devastating tragedy than the loss of a young son or daughter. The hearts of everyone in the CFL, and our legion of fans, go out to our dear friend Milt Stegall and the entire Stegall family upon news of the sudden passing of his son Chase Stegall. A soccer player at DePaul University in Chicago, Chase is already being remembered as a gifted athlete, a kindhearted friend and someone who had a positive effect on all who knew him – qualities synonymous with the Stegall name here in Canada.”

Chase, a sophomore, did not see the field as a freshman at DePaul. He appeared in 16 of the team’s 17 games as a sophomore, scoring a goal against Drake in September.