Northern Colorado assistant coach Zach Hoffpauir has died, the program has announced. Hoffpauir was 26 years old.
Hired in February to coach safeties on Ed McCaffrey's new staff, Hoffpauir coached in the Arizona high school ranks previously.
A standout on Stanford's football and baseball teams, Hoffpauir helped the Cardinal win three Pac-12 titles as an All-Pac-12 honorable mention safety. He also earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors on the diamond, hitting .324 and seven homers.
"Life is not just about what you accomplish. I believe life is about how you influence others," Stanford head coach David Shaw tweeted. "Every day Zach Hoffpauir gave his love and passion to his family, his teammates and the players he coached. Our prayers are with the Hoffpauir family, though Zach you are always with us."
Hoffpauir was a 22nd round selection of his home state Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2015 MLB draft.
"He was so excited to get back to Northern Colorado and try to influence lives beyond football," Zach's father, Doug Hoffpauir, told the Arizona Republic. "He loved his head coach, Ed McCaffrey. Christian McCaffrey was his best friend. He had so much to look forward to."
"I just don’t have the words to express the loss," Hoffpauir's high school head coach Richard Taylor told the paper. "Just to so many people, so many people he would have reached and touched in the future. It’s a loss on so many levels."
The cause of death was not revealed.