Gavin Escobar, a former tight end for the Dallas Cowboys, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 31.
He was one of two victims killed in a rock-climbing accident near the Tahquitz Peak Fire Lookout in Southern California.
The Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department said rescuers were called around 12:30 p.m. local time to Tahquitz Rock near Idyllwild following a distress call. Officials said rescuers climbed up a steep remote area and found the climbers dead.
The climbers were identified as 31-year-old Escobar and 33-year-old Chelsea Walsh.
In a statement on Twitter, the Cal Fire and Riverside County Fire Department confirmed that Escobar and Walsh had both “perished at the scene.”
Escobar played in the NFL from 2013 to 2017 for the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. He had 30 catches for 333 yards and eight touchdowns during his career. He ended his football career in the Alliance of American Football.
Escobar leaves behind his wife Sarah and their two daughters, Josey and Charlotte.
The fire department, Cowboys and his alma mater San Diego State sent their condolences on Twitter.
The Dallas Cowboys tweeted a photo of the former tight end in his uniform alongside the caption, “Forever in our hearts,” while his alma mater, San Diego State University, posted a photo of Escobar in his college uniform, with the caption, “We love you, Gavin.”
“We are devastated to hear about the passing of Gavin Escobar. Gavin was the epitome of a student-athlete and a leader on and off the field. Our thoughts and prayers are with Gavin’s family in this incredibly difficult time,” San Diego State AD John David Wicker said in a statement.
