The rookie coach made an early impact on his players. As the calendar turned his freshman year, Hoffpauir went on to start at point guard on the schools basketball team and nearly hit .400 on the baseball team. C hristian McCaffrey posted a photo of Hoffpauir on his Instagram account Friday which began, Yesterday Heaven gained an angel, and I lost one of my best friends in the world. He called Hoffpauir a true friend and great brother to anyone he knew. Its so sad.. The pressure was. Hoffpauirs freshman slump was a blip in an otherwise decorated career in Palo Alto. 418 likes. He was a natural at just about any sport he played.. Hoffpauir's parents, Doug and Shannon, were recognized When the stories came out in mid-May of last year, the glaring headlines -- another athlete who died of a drug overdose -- Shannon Hoffpauir knew there was more to the story. This eventually led him to getting a coaching job with the University of Northern Colorado, coaching the safeties. Zachs heart was with ASU, Shannon said in the documentary, But pressure from his family, his friends, and himself, influenced Zach into choosing Stanford. Hoffpauir is hoping to regain his starting position at . He was like a brother to our boys, Ed McCaffrey said. Just imagine what Zachs parents are going through, said Dr. Ann McKee, Director of the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank, in a 2021 documentary from Sports360AZ about Zachs life. Photos courtesy Stanford University. He always said hashtag CTE.. Come (his) 40s, he probably would have had either Alzheimers, Lou Gerhigs disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or Parkinsons, Shannon said, tears in her eyes. Zachs funeral, appropriately physically distant of course, is planned for Saturday, May 30. He was a young, intelligent coach with limitless potential, wrote Ed McCaffery in a Facebook post after Zachs death. Visitation at Johnson's Funeral Home will be held at 11:00 AM until the start of the funeral service at 1:00 PM on . Zach Hoffpauirs family leads friends on the field at halftime of the Centennial-Hamilton game. View profile . Once again, the sleepless nights began. I dont want to act and feel this way. Jon Wilner has been covering college sports for decades and is an AP top-25 football and basketball voter as well as a Heisman Trophy voter. The night before his death, his mother said he went to bed after taking Percocet, an oxycodone-acetaminophen pain killer that Hoffpaiur acquired from a friend, just to get his first full night of sleep in weeks. You dont pass up Stanford, Shannon said. Doug Hoffpauir did not provide a cause of death. We were all lucky to know you for the time we did.. The sad thing about it is that Zach loved this: People, fun times, this is who Zach was. Former Stanford, Cal MBB coach Mike Montgomery says schools are not keeping up with college changes He spent one year in their organization (Class-A), then returned to Stanford for the 2016 season to complete his football career. Related Articles Zach was 26 years old. Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images. 2) Emotional problems, including poor decision-making, impulsiveness and the tendency to lash out. Are you or someone you know struggling with lingering concussion symptoms or possible CTE? He played primarily on special teams in football and struggled mightily in baseball. 31, now painted in the team's red and white above the 31-yard line, that will . Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert. He had a gregarious personality and we all loved him. Hoffpauir was 26 when he died this spring, just months after being named a defensive backs coach at Northern Colorado under new hire Ed McCaffrey, the father of former Cardinal teammate and close friend Christian McCaffrey, who now plays for the NFLs Carolina Panthers. Im done. The university . David Shaw, who coached Hoffpauir at Stanford, was philosophical about the loss. (Courtesy of the Hoffpauir family), Zach Hoffpauir laughs while he holds an iPad at his family's Christmas celebration. He was named Beat Writer of the Year in 2013 by the Football Writers Association of America for his coverage of the Pac-12, won first place for feature writing in 2016 in the Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest and is a five-time APSE honoree. Recently, it was reported that Hoffpauir had CTE, and was diagnosed with the same level of CTE that former USC Trojans and San . Jeb Bush confirmed Thursday ATLANTA Former U.S. Sen. Zell Miller, a lifelong Democrat and the father of Georgia's lottery-funded HOPE scholarship while serving as governor, died Friday. I'd talk to him for three hours. Christian McCaffrey was his best friend. All the things you try to instill in your kid, he was doing that. Creative Commons. (Photo by Mary Grace Grabill/Cronkite News). Sormani, who has a self-titled YouTube channel, is working in the Phoenix News Bureau. JASON HOFFPAUIR Cedar Rapids Jason Clyde Hoffpauir, 38, of Cedar Rapids, died Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, at Mercy Medical Center. Zach also started coaching back at Centennial High. Former Stanford football player Zach Hoffpauir was posthumously diagnosed with CTE at the age of 26, a physician who researches the disease said on Tuesday . While his mental state never got down to where it was before, it was enough to keep him up night after night. At that time, McCaffrey and other Stanford teammates returned to the Valley for a dinner on the anniversary of Hoffpauir's death. It was compassion, Zach said. He was a member of Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles, LA. The University of Northern Colorado football team honored its former assistant coach Zach Hoffpauir, who died unexpectedly in May 2020. (Courtesy of the Hoffpauir family), Zach Hoffpauir, center, smiles for a photo with his mother, Shannon, right, and sister Hillary. "He's like my heartbeat.". Bill Melancon officiating. This news organization has independently requested a copy of the report from the Maricopa County Medical Examiners Office. Coach: David Shaw (42-11, entering . (Courtesy of the Hoffpauir family), Zach Hoffpauir, right, takes a photo with his family, including his step brothers and step mother. 17 UCLA, My AP WBB ballot: Stanford-UCLA starts Cardinals huge week. Zach would come back to Arizona, medically retired from football. All he ever wanted to do was make people proud, and he did, Hillary Hoffpauir said. He was Do tax exemptions apply to costs like burial, cremation and floral arrangements? He was always honest, protected those he loved from the harshness of the world, and celebrated their joys. I am devastated by the loss of Zach Hoffpauir, a friend to me and my family since his playing days with Christian at Stanford. He went through a suicidal period but appeared to have found peace in the spring of 2020 when he accepted a position on the Northern Colorado coaching staff. It was a moment of celebration but also melancholy as Doug and Shannon Hoffpauir led a crowd to the middle of the Centennial High School football field. They played football together at Stanford. Hoffpauir hit .295 with 11 home runs and 58 RBIs at Stanford and was a Pac-12 honorable mention pick in 2015. Then, COVID came. Whatever Zach Hoffpauir touched, he excelled in. Centennial coach Richard Taylor always regarded Hoffpair as one of his favorite players to coach because of the way he impacted the team. He was 26. He had a unique ability to understand people from all walks of life.. He was excited about Colorado football and Northern Colorado. It didnt kill former Stanford football player Zach Hoffpauir, who died accidentally in May 2020 when he unknowing took Percocet that had been laced with fentanyl. Former Centennial High School standout, D-backs draftee Zach Hoffpauir dies at 26 Zach Hoffpauir played safety at Stanford and was a baseball player, drafted by the D-backs in 2015. He loved coaching those boys, Shannon Hoffpauir said. Months later, Brain Bank researchers informed the Hoffpauirs that Zach had Stage 2 (of 4) CTE. Glendale native Zach Hoffpauir, who played baseball and football at Stanford University after a brilliant athletic career at Peoria's Centennial High School, died in his sleep May 15. For a report to come out, Just another athlete who died of a drug overdose, Shannon said. He stood for caring for others, said Cavness. His junior year, Hoffpauir earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention as a safety in football and as a right fielder in baseball. (Courtesy of the Hoffpauir family), Zach Hoffpauir signs his autograph on the Stanford Cardinals team poster. You knew when (Zach) was coming down the hallway. Zach Hoffpauir, a former two-sport athlete at Stanford University, died Thursday at the age of 26. Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today. College Sports | On stage at Christs Church of the Valley after Zachs death, Tyler Thorne urged those in attendance to live as Zach did to be completely present for the needs of others. Zach Hoffpauir, a former football and baseball player at Stanford, died in May of an accidental drug overdose, according to a reportciting county medical examiner records in his native Arizona. Zach, 26, died in his sleep May 15 at his father's home in Arizona. Back home, Zachs parents could see just how much their son was hurting underneath and after his 21st birthday, he had a failed attempt to take his own life. Submit your request today and a dedicated member of the Concussion Legacy Foundation team will be happy to assist you. In the documentary, Hoffpauirs mother described a world in which her son lived into middle age. Zach even joined his mother for a Mothers Day sermon last year when he shared about his mental health. I am so incredibly saddened that a bright light that could have had such a positive influence on so many lives burnt out way too soon, McCaffrey wrote in an email. On Untold, Zach shared how a psychologist helped him learn how his sense of self-worth had plummeted after Stanford because he felt he was no longer living up to external expectations. He told Shaw how he had identified the most important quality in any great coach was not discipline, communication, or any tactical trait. Phoenix NBC affiliate KPNX broke the news Thursday. Three Zach Hoffpauir accomplished a great deal, but what he did was not who he was. Zach knew something was wrong. 197,654 likes. You could just feel the charisma coming off of him, Justin Sanchez said. Clear to partly cloudy. We were celebrating his accomplishments not knowing that it caused a lot of pressure for him to perform.. To the general public, Zach Hoffpauir is just an athlete and coach who died too soon. *** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference. He was 26 years old. Its a loss on so many levels.. That he didnt have enough love for himself.. Despite being an athletic supernova, Zach remained remarkably humble. May 22, 2020. On Saturday, May 30, 2020, hundreds gathered at Christs Church of the Valley in Peoria, Arizona to celebrate the life of Zach Hoffpauir. Prior to high school, Zach played one year of eight-on-eight tackle football. Zach's family . 6 Stanford over Oregon to reach Pac-12 semis, Former Stanford, Cal MBB coach Mike Montgomery says schools are not keeping up with college changes, Stanford women: Brink, Jones power No. He was this incredible athlete with this strong exterior, but he really was just a big softie, Zachs cousin, Morgan Williams, said. He challenged me, said Shaw. But on May 14, while living with his father in Phoenix during the pandemic, Hoffpauir took a Percocet to help him sleep and never woke up. In school, Zach was loved by many that knew him for his wit and his engaging personality. He was in the middle of everything, from his dance moves to his football hits, to his baseball home runs, to his transparency and resiliency and leading the room. Doug Hoffpauir is sharing his sons story to shine a light on the effects of CTE and to encourage those struggling to seek help. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disease found posthumously in the brains of football players. His father confirmed the death to the Arizona Republic but did not provide a cause. Zach had been staying with his father in the Valley during the coronavirus pandemic shutdown. It allowed him to focus on good things in his life, even if those things were having a family or air conditioning. Two-sport standout at Centennial High and Stanford, Zach Hoffpauir died last week. Last Thursday morning, Zach Hoffpauir passed away at the age of 26. We wont find out for over a year, Doug Hoffpauir told this news organization at the time. This beautiful, talented, incredibly intelligent young man dying at 26 with the ravages of this disease in his brain.. In a game against Hamilton, the Huskies retired Hoffpauir's number 31 jersey in an emotional ceremony. Like so many others across this country and around the world, Zach was furloughed due to the pandemic and forced to return to Arizona. Zach Hoffpauir, a two-sport standout at Stanford who earned All-Pac 12 honours as a safety in football and played two seasons in the Arizona Diamondbacks' minor league system, has died at age 26. We are more similar than we are different, said Zach. He made people want to be like him, be like God and be something more. He was 26. Mostly he loved sharing his life and experiences with our players, who he was born to mentor. Hoffpauir left Stanford in 2015 after being taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 22nd round of the MLB draft and played a minor league season that summer. Living with suspected CTE can be difficult, but CTE is not a death sentence and it is important to maintain hope. At Centennial, Zach was a multi-sport athlete. Support the Hotline: Receive three months of unlimited access for just 99 cents. I didnt have to tell him. They cheered for her the entire match. Now all of a sudden, sports became a business, Doug said in the Sports360AZ documentary. If Id have known the extent of his outlay beyond sports, I dont know if I wouldve said anything. Ill never be the same, his mother, Shannon Hoffpauir, said. By Tom Scanlon, Glendale Star Managing Editor. Hed be in your heart.. He clicked with junior safety Jamond Dubose on day one, talking for two hours about life and their similar experiences. Hoffpauir helped coach football at Anthem Boulder Creek last season with Beau Kitson, one of his close friends. I love you and your family and I promise we'll make you proud. They went above and beyond, even when he had concussions. All the concussions he got from playing shortened his career. Injuries ultimately forced him to retire from playing either sport. On Untold, Zach shared how deep his emotional pain went. Zach Hoffpauir did not wake up the next morning. Cognitive deterioration is the hallmark of CTE, and you rarely see it in 20- and 30-year-olds.. He was recently hired as an assistant coach for Northern Colorado as his minor league baseball career was officially . The news hit Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey and his family hard. (He) loved his family so much and would do anything for the people he cared about. With the right diagnosis and the right medication, Zach was on his comeback trail. If someone needed a listening ear, advice or a shoulder to cry on, he was there and it wasnt a burden. We, as his family, believed that he could do whatever he wanted in life, said Doug. They shared stories about Zach. Family and friends can send flowers and condolences in memory of the loved one. At Stanford, Zach thrived on the football and baseball fields. I am devastated by the loss of Zach Hoffpauir, a friend to me and my family since his playing days with my son Christian at Stanford, Bears new head football coach Ed McCaffrey wrote on Instagram on Friday. Former Peoria Centennial football/baseball star Zach Hoffpauir, one of the greatest athletes in Arizona high school history, died Thursday morning, his father Doug told The Arizona Republic.