DePaul soccer player Chase Stegall dies, university announces

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A DePaul University men's soccer player died Monday morning, the university announced.

Chase Stegall, 20, was a sophomore at the university and was a native of Atlanta, Georgia. The university said in a statement that the sophomore died unexpectedly in his residence hall

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Vice President and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy and Head Men's Soccer Coach Mark Plotkin said in a statement, "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."

Stegall was loved by his community, as many are pouring out their support.

Students and fellow athletes were visibly emotional Tuesday. They said Stegall was known for his joyful spirit and big smile.

"He always had a smile on his face, just like the brightest personality, and was like, the life of the party," DePaul track and field athlete Gianna Sanchez said.

He was the guy who knew how to make that special impact on everyone around him.

"The Athletic Center, they loved him, like every single sport outside of men's soccer, every single sport knew who he was," Sanchez said.

Chicago police said Stegall was found unresponsive at his dorm on campus just before 9 a.m. Monday.

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Stegall's friend and former DePaul athlete Myles Marshall says he spoke to him just a few days ago.

"Chase was, no matter his environment, no matter what was going on, he always has a positive mindset. And just his positive energy and everything was always something that everybody enjoyed," Marshall said.

That positivity is something Stegall wrote about on the university's website, titling the story, "Living My Dream."

In his own words, he talked about having a seizure his freshman year, explaining how it motivated him to come back the following year.

In his story, he wrote, "The DePaul community has meant everything to me, and reminded me every day that I'm living my dream."

"He was really eager about showing up and doing his thing that he knew he could do in soccer because he came from a really powerhouse soccer program in Atlanta," Marshall said.

While DePaul Athletics said it's unclear if his past health issues played a role in his death, the loss is felt even by those who admired him from the soccer stands.

"He was an incredibly good player; he was really fast," DePaul student Ndabila Mulenga said. "It's unfortunate that someone goes to sleep and not knowing that they're not going to live another day."

As the son of Canadian Football League Hall of Famer Milt Stegall, his love for sports goes back to childhood, but so does his love for others.

"It's a big loss for our community because he just had a big impact on people," Sanchez said.

Autopsy results have not been released yet.

The university said a memorial service will be held on campus Wednesday.