Gavin Louis Escobar (February 3, 1991 – September 28, 2022) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

who played for five seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) and a season in the Alliance of American Football (AAF). He played for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

and

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

from 2013 to 2017, after having played college football for the

San Diego State Aztecs The San Diego State Aztecs are the athletic teams that represent San Diego State University (SDSU). San Diego State currently sponsors six men's and eleven women's sports at the varsity level. The Aztecs compete in NCAA Division I ( FBS for foo ...

Early years

Escobar was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

on February 3, 1991, to Erin and Harry Escobar. He had two siblings; his brother Declan Escobar and his sister Morgan Escobar. After moving to California in the early 2000's, he attended

Santa Margarita Catholic High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School (SMCHS) is a coeducational college preparatory Roman Catholic high school located in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, United States. SMCHS is owned and operated by the Diocese of Orange, and was opened in ...

Rancho Santa Margarita, California Rancho Santa Margarita is a city in Orange County, California, United States. One of Orange County's youngest cities, Rancho Santa Margarita is a master-planned community. The population was 47,853 at the 2010 census, up from 47,214 at the 2000 ...

, where he played for the school's football and basketball teams. In football, he was a Trinity League second-team selection on offense in 2008 after making 37 receptions for 492 yards and six scores. In a game against St. Bonaventure, the eventual state Division III champion, he had seven receptions for 130 yards. As a junior, he caught 11 passes for 163 yards (14.8 yards per catch). He was regarded as a two-star recruit by ''

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

''. Additionally, Escobar was a standout basketball player and key contributor alongside NBA star

Klay Thompson Klay Alexander Thompson (born February 8, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A four-time NBA champion with the Warriors, he is a five-time NBA All-St ...

, as Santa Margarita reached the California Division III State Championship in 2008.

College career

Escobar accepted a football scholarship from

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

, where he played from 2009 to 2012. He was redshirted after being diagnosed with

testicular cancer Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system. Symptoms may include a lump in the testicle, or swelling or pain in the scrotum. Treatment may result in infertility. Risk factors include an ...

, which he was able to overcome after having the

tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

removed. As a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after ...

freshman in 2010, he started 12 games, recording 29 receptions for 323 yards and 4

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

s. Despite his decreased role the following year as a sophomore (6 starts in 13 games), his production improved and he finished fifth in the

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is one of the collegiate athletic conferences affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) (formerly I-A). The MW officially began operations ...

(MWC) in receptions (51), receiving yards (780), receiving

s (7), and sixth in receiving yards per reception (15.3). As a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

in 2012, he posted 42 receptions for 543 yards and had the fourth-most

s in the conference (6). He declared for the

NFL draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

after the season, foregoing his final year of eligibility. During the 2011 and 2012 seasons, Escobar was a first-team All-MWC selection. For his college career, he registered 122 receptions for 1,646 yards, 17

s and did not miss a game.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

2013 season

Escobar was selected by the

in the second round (47th overall) of the

2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall ...

. After having mixed results from using previous second round draft choices in

Anthony Fasano Anthony Joseph Fasano (born April 20, 1984) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame. Fasano also played for the Kansas Cit ...

and

Martellus Bennett Martellus Demond Bennett (born March 10, 1987) is a former American football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football at Texas A&M and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second ...

, the Cowboys surprised observers by selecting another

, when there was a bigger need on the

offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

. He made his NFL debut with the Cowboys on September 8, 2013, at the age of 22, in a 36–31 win against the New York Giants. During his rookie season, he was expected to be a pass catching option in the two

packages, but he was used sparingly, registering 9 receptions for 134 yards and 2

s. He became the fifth rookie tight end in franchise history to catch multiple touchdowns in a season.

2014 season

Escobar remained in a backup role in his second season in the league, but was passed on the depth chart by

James Hanna James Hanna (born July 14, 1989) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He was drafted in the sixth round (186th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at the Un ...

, who was used to block at the point of attack in the running game. He was mostly used on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

and as a red zone target, finishing with 105 receiving yards and 4

s on 9 receptions.

2015 season

Escobar was unable to increase his role in the team's offense and remained as the third-string

, despite wide receiver

Dez Bryant Desmond Demond Bryant (born November 4, 1988) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma State, where he earned All-American honors in 2008. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fir ...

missing 7 games. The 12 games that

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Tony Romo Antonio Ramiro Romo (born April 21, 1980) is an American sportscaster and former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Eastern Illino ...

missed also impacted his production, finishing with 8 receptions for 64 yards and one touchdown. Escobar suffered a season-ending injury when he tore his right

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ( ...

in the last drive of the fourteenth game of the season against the New York Jets. On December 25, he was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

, in order to promote defensive tackle Casey Walker to the 53-man roster.

2016 season

Escobar made a surprisingly quick recovery from his Achilles injury, allowing him to have a full participation in

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

, though he was passed on the depth chart by

Geoff Swaim Geoff Swaim (born September 16, 1993) is an American football tight end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas and was selected in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL draft by the Dalla ...

, who displayed better blocking ability. After being used primarily as a core

player and only participating in 29 offensive plays, Escobar became the backup tight end after Swaim suffered a season-ending injury in the week 10 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Because he struggled with his blocking, the Cowboys were forced to use

man Joe Looney as the blocking tight end in short yardage situations. Escobar finished with 4 receptions and one touchdown. Although Escobar had the size and continued improving his technique, he could never develop into a dependable in-line blocker. As with other Cowboys tight ends during the

Jason Witten Christopher Jason Witten (born May 6, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for 17 seasons, primarily for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Univers ...

era, the team's coaches could never find a complementary role for him in the passing game, which limited Escobar to never starting more than 4 games and recording more than 9 receptions in a season. He played in 62 games (7 starts), making 30 receptions for 333 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Kansas City Chiefs

Escobar signed a one-year contract as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

on March 31, 2017. However, Escobar was released on September 2 after not being able to pass Ross Travis on the depth chart.

Baltimore Ravens

On October 23, 2017, Escobar signed with the

, who were looking to improve their depth after

Maxx Williams Maxx Williams (born April 12, 1994) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at Minnesota and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. College career Williams was ...

re-injured his ankle. On November 18, he was released to make room for

Danny Woodhead Daniel Jacob Henry Woodhead (born January 25, 1985) is an amateur golfer who has qualified for the United States Golf Association championship tournaments, and was a former professional American football running back. He played college football a ...

. He appeared in 2 games as a backup

and he did not register any stats.

Cleveland Browns

Escobar signed a reserve/future contract with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

on January 15, 2018. He was released by the Browns on April 12, 2018.

Miami Dolphins

Escobar signed with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

on April 16, 2018. He was released on September 1, 2018, but was re-signed five days later. He was released on September 11, 2018.

San Diego Fleet (AAF)

After getting released by the Dolphins, Escobar joined the

San Diego Fleet The San Diego Fleet was a professional American football franchise based in San Diego, California, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The league began play in February 2019, with the team playing its home game ...

of the newly-formed Alliance of American Football. He was placed on injured reserve on April 1, 2019. The league ceased operations in April 2019. Escobar caught 14 passes for 142 yards during the season.

Personal life

Escobar was married and had two children. After retiring from football, he worked as a firefighter for the Long Beach Fire Department in California, starting in February 2022. Escobar died at around noon on September 28, 2022, while rock climbing near

Tahquitz Rock Tahquitz Peak (pronounced , sometimes ) is a granite, rock formation located on the high western slope of the San Jacinto mountain range in Riverside County, Southern California, United States, above the mountain town of Idyllwild. Tahquitz ha ...

in the

San Bernardino National Forest The San Bernardino National Forest is a United States National Forest in Southern California encompassing of which are federal. The forest is made up of two main divisions, the eastern portion of the San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernard ...

. He was 31 years old. He was climbing with a friend who also died during the climb.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

San Diego Aztecs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Escobar, Gavin 1991 births 2022 deaths American football tight ends Baltimore Ravens players Cleveland Browns players Dallas Cowboys players Kansas City Chiefs players Miami Dolphins players Mountaineering deaths People from Rancho Santa Margarita, California Puerto Rican players of American football San Diego Fleet players San Diego State Aztecs football players Sports deaths in California Players of American football from New York City Players of American football from Orange County, California Santa Margarita Catholic High School alumni