Justin Skaggs was on the football field helping the Utah Blaze end a five-game losing streak just three weeks ago in Orlando, Fla. Friday afternoon, just days after being diagnosed with brain tumors, Skaggs died at the Salt Lake Regional Medical Center surrounded by his family. He was 28.
Skaggs, suffering from an extreme headache, had been taken to the hospital early Thursday morning. He underwent emergency surgery in order to reduce swelling on his brain. He never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at 1:45 MDT on Friday.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Skaggs family at this difficult time," said Blaze owner John Garff. "Justin will forever be a member of this team and a member of the Blaze family, and he will be deeply missed by all. Salt Lake City and Blaze communities have lost a great man, a dedicated teammate, and a loving husband and father."
The Blaze, who are 7-8 and still in the hunt for an Arena Football League playoff spot, have a bye this weekend prior to their final regular-season game June 23 in Los Angeles. Due to the off week, many of Skaggs' teammates are out of town while taking a few days off from football.
Skaggs leaves behind a wife, Tara, and two children, Jake (5) and Abbie (3).
Skaggs played college football as a receiver at Evangel University, an NAIA school in Springfield, Mo. He defied the odds by making an NFL roster from such a small university, playing for the Washington Redskins in 2001. He
later spent time in the camps of the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also played for the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe and for the Orlando Predators of the AFL in 2005 before joining the Blaze.
Skaggs was a hard-working leader for the Blaze during both years of the team's existence.
"If we had 20 guys who put in the effort that Justin put in, we would have never lost a game," said Blaze coach Danny White. "He wasn't the biggest or the fastest player in the world — but he thought he was. ... No one could ever question his effort."
Skaggs caught 52 passes for 660 yards and 13 touchdowns with four rushing scores in 2006. He also tallied 47 tackles as a linebacker.
This year he had spent more time as a linebacker than a receiver. He finished this season with 21 catches and four touchdowns with 26.5 tackles as a linebacker. He had three tackles in his final game on May 25 against Orlando.
The following week, after a full practice, Skaggs felt numbness in his arms and hands was taken to a neurosurgeon for MRI and CAT scans. There, the first indications of possible brain tumors were discovered. Knowing their popular teammate had a possible life-threatening illness, the Blaze dedicated their 51-14 victory over Colorado on June 4 to Skaggs.
Even after more tests revealed the seriousness of his cancer, Skaggs was determined to share his story and to recover.
"I'm an optimistic person and a hard-headed son of a gun, I really am," Skaggs said in an interview with the Deseret Morning News on Monday. "I don't care what the statistics say or what anyone says — I'm going to beat this. I don't care what the odds are."
Tragically, Skaggs was just beginning to fight his illness at the Huntsman Cancer Institute with radiation therapy and chemotherapy before the complications cut off his battle early.
"It's tragic something like this happened to a good guy like Justin," said White. "He didn't deserve it. We'll miss him."
AFL commissioner David Baker released the following statement Friday afternoon: "It is always disheartening to lose a member of the Arena Football family, but even more so when that member is taken from us at such a young age. Justin Skaggs was a true Ironman who played on each side of the ball with equal passion and veracity. Everyone in the Arena Football family extends their most sincere condolences to Justin's family and the Blaze organization."
A memorial service will be held at EnergySolutions Arena on Monday at 10 a.m. in the International Room. The pubic is welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Justin Skaggs Memorial Account by visiting any Zions Bank location. Checks can also be mailed to: Zions Bank, 1 South Main St., Ste. 100, Salt Lake City, UT 84111.
E-mail: lojo@desnews.com