Former NFL draft pick dead at 42

Former Denver Broncos draft pick Ahmaad Galloway was found dead at his home in Missouri on Monday.

He was 42.

Galloway, a four-year running back at the University of Alabama, was drafted by the Broncos in the 7th round of the 2003 NFL Draft.

Galloway’s greatest impact wasn’t felt on the gridiron, however. No, Galloway matched the hash marks on a soccer field against the hash marks on a piece of paper by becoming an 8th grade English teacher.

Galloway taught at Compton-Drew Middle School in St. Louis, Missouri and aloud WVTM TVHe was loved by his students.

Principal Susan Reid confirmed that Galloway was found dead during a welfare check at his St. Louis home.

“Ahmaad was always on time, very responsible, so we knew something might be wrong,” Reid said. “Nothing was disturbed at Ahmaad’s apartment, so we think it may have been a medical issue.”

.@AlabamaFTBL The family mourns the loss of former RB Ahmaad Galloway who has passed away aged 42.

The story with reactions from former UA teammates and family members here👇

📸 Kimberly Slaughter & @bryantmuseum #Ahmaad Galloway @WVTM13 @UofAlabama pic.twitter.com/Bw2Yfp4vxa

— Rick Karle WVTM 13 (@RickKarle) January 11, 2023

Not only the school was destroyed by his death.

“Ahmaad Galloway has left this earth, but his influence as a man is forever visible in this world,” his friend and former classmate David Jordan Jr. wrote for Eshe Magazine.

“Ahmaad was always quiet and humble,” Galloway’s sister Kimberly Slaughter told WVTM. “My brother loved football growing up and later loved his kids Austin and Aubrey.”

“Growing up, he always said he was going to make the NFL, and he did,” Galloway’s cousin Monaco Houston said. “He was very shy. Growing up he was always great with kids. He was loved very much.”

“We talked a lot about life, not football,” said former Alabama teammate Marvin Constant. “We only spoke a week ago and he sounded great. We’ve been very close since 2002 when we spent time together rehabilitating our knee injuries.”

That last feeling is probably one of the main reasons Galloway’s loved ones are struggling with his death. By all indications, he was a perfectly healthy ex-pro athlete who spent his days doing what he loved.

And yet he was just gone.

“The coroner is working to find out how Ahmaad died,” Reid told WVTM. A cause of death was not known as of Thursday.

Galloway played for the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers in the NFL, and for the Scottish Claymores and the Frankfurt Galaxy of the now-defunct NFL Europe.