Former Houston Texans Quarterback Passes Away in Florida Drowning

Dangerous Florida Beaches

A stand-out quarterback from the state of Texas passed away on Tuesday, June 27 in Destin, Florida. According to a report from the Okaloosa Sheriff's Office's Facebook Page, Ryan Mallett, 35, a group of people in the water near a second sandbar had been struggling to make their way back to shore. Mallett went under and drowned before lifeguards could save him.

Over the past few weeks, numerous deaths have occurred on Florida beaches due to extreme and widespread rip currents. Many of these drownings have happened in and around the Panama City Beach area. Authorities in Destin have not yet mentioned rip currents as being a contributing factor to Mallett's death.

Mallett Played Against Nacogdoches

I remember calling the radio play-by-play when Ryan Mallett was the quarterback against the Nacogdoches Dragons in a football playoff game in 2006. The Dragons played with a lot of heart and effort, but Mallett was a man among boys as he led Texas High to a 31-9 bi-district win over Nacogdoches.

I recall his great talent and ability, but something that stuck in my memory was the postgame handshake between the two teams. Instead of shaking hands with the Dragon players, he told them 'good game' and tapped on the top of their helmets. That's how tall the 6 foot, 6 inch Mallett stood above the players.

College and Pro Years

The Texarkana native went on to play for Michigan before transferring to Arkansas. He excelled as the signal caller for the Razorbacks. He finished in the top ten for the Heisman Trophy in 2010.

Mallett went on to play in the NFL for the New England Patriots. He also played for the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens. Most recently, he had been the head football coach at White Hall high school in Arkansas.