Christopher Joseph Gedney (August 9, 1970 – March 9, 2018) was an American college and professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

, and earned All-American honors. He played professionally for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

and

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

of the NFL. After his football career ended, he served as assistant athletics director at Syracuse University.

Early years

Gedney was born in Wilmington, Delaware.National Football League, Historical Players
Chris Gedney profile
retrieved February 14, 2012. He graduated from Liverpool High School,databaseFootball.com, Players
Chris Gedney
; retrieved February 14, 2012. where he played high school football for the Liverpool Warriors.

College career

While attending Syracuse University, he played for the

Syracuse Orange football The Syracuse Orange football team represents Syracuse University in the sport of American football. The Orange compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Atlantic Division of the ...

team from 1989 to 1992. As a senior in 1992, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American.

Professional career

The Chicago Bears selected Gedney in the third round (61st overall pick) in the

1993 NFL Draft The 1993 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 25–26, 1993, at the Marriot Ma ...

. He played for the Bears from to .Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players
Chris Gedney profile
retrieved February 14, 2012. He later played for the Arizona Cardinals from to . His most productive season came in 1997, where he caught 23 passes for 261 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Life after football

Gedney lived in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. He previously worked as the Development Liaison for the Syracuse Football Lettermen's Club and was an analyst for the Syracuse Sports Network. On April 29, 2010, Gedney was promoted to Senior Associate Athletic Director for Major Gifts at Syracuse University.

Death

Gedney died by suicide on March 9, 2018, by gunshot to the neck aged 47.Stephen Bailey
Former Syracuse football star Chris Gedney dies at age 47
Syracuse.com, March 9, 2018, accessed March 9, 2018. A brain autopsy performed by the Boston University CTE Center and Brain Bank determined that Gedney had had stage II chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gedney, Chris 1970 births 2018 deaths 2018 suicides People from Liverpool, New York Sportspeople from Onondaga County, New York All-American college football players American football tight ends Arizona Cardinals players Chicago Bears players Syracuse Orange football players Players of American football from New York (state) Players of American football from Wilmington, Delaware Suicides by firearm in New York (state) Players of American football with chronic traumatic encephalopathy Liverpool High School alumni