Tigers bid farewell to one of their own

ST. LOUIS -- Family and friends of Missouri football player Aaron O'Neal gathered Monday at West Side Missionary Baptist Church to both celebrate the life and mourn the loss of the player who died last week during a workout.

The 19-year-old Missouri linebacker died Tuesday shortly after collapsing during a voluntary workout with teammates. The cause of death has not been determined, though a medical examiner has ruled out infection, trauma and foul play.

O'Neal, a redshirt freshman for the Tigers, was affectionally known to many by the nickname "A.O." He was born in New York City, but also lived in Alaska, Kentucky and Missouri.

In Missouri, O'Neal lived in the St. Louis suburb of Creve Coeur and attended Parkway North High School, where he was a four-sport standout. He was recruited by several top teams out of high school, but decided to pursue his dream of becoming a Missouri Tiger.

One of O'Neal's teachers and coaches in both middle school and high school, Jim Arico, said following the funeral, "He had an extreme work ethic. He was a silent leader, who led by example. He was focused, had his priorities (straight) and had a level head."

Those who knew O'Neal well explained that when they first met the young man he seemed quiet, but once they got to know him well, he displayed a deep warmth and sense of humor.

O'Neal's Missouri teammates, coaches and others from the school arrived in buses to attend the funeral.

"Even in the college setting, Aaron continued to attract a throng of friends because Aaron was a natural leader and an individual that possessed a love and respect for people that seemingly knew no measure," noted a written life reflection in the funeral program.

Mourners who attended said they were still having a hard time believing such a vital, athletic young man was gone.

"It was so unexpected to have him pass away like this, just a hard pill to swallow," high school classmate Damian Jones, 19, of St. Louis, said before he entered the church.

Another high school classmate, Jennifer Kemp, 18, of Creve Coeur, said people looked up to O'Neal and she admired him because he didn't show off his abilities.

"When I ran track, I remember even if he was tired, he'd keep going. He just had a determination," she said.

It's still unknown what led to O'Neal's health problems last week.

The workout ended with O'Neal slumped on the Faurot Field turf. After walking off the field with the help of a trainer and then a teammate, he was taken by ambulance to University Hospital, where he died 90 minutes later.

Under NCAA rules, no football coaches were allowed to attend the preseason workouts where players ran sprints and performed agility drills while wearing shorts, T-shirts and cleats, but no helmets or pads.

Medical examiner Valerie Rao said Friday in Columbia that she will interview the 11 other players, eight conditioning coaches and three trainers present at the early afternoon workout.

O'Neal was survived by his parents, two sisters and a brother.