Some sad news hit the Notre Dame football family Easter Sunday as reports filtered out that they had lost one of their own.
According to multiple media outlets, former Irish quarterback Blair Kiel passed away yesterday afternoon. Kiel was presumably celebrating the holiday at a relative’s house in Columbus (Ind.) when he fell ill. After being taken to a local hospital via ambulance, Kiel was pronounced dead at 12:21 p.m. local time.
He was 50 years old at the time of his death.
While toxicology reports will take upwards of six weeks to complete, an autopsy has already determined that Kiel died of natural causes, Bartholomew (Ind.) County coroner Allen Smith told the Chicago Tribune. Smith added that he’s “100-percent sure” Kiel died of natural causes, although he could not confirm it was a heart attack that claimed Kiel’s life as has been rumored.
Kiel became Notre Dame’s first four-year starter at QB since the early part of the 20th century during his playing career, which encompassed the period between 1980-1983. He remains ranked 10th in career passing yards (3,650) and eight in completions (297) at the school. Following his time in South Bend, Kiel went on to play parts of eight seasons in the NFL, as well as brief stints in the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League.
Kiel’s nephew, Gunner Kiel, was rated as the No. 1 QB in the Class of 2012 who graduated early from high school in order to sign with the Irish and participate in spring practice this year.
Gunner Kiel is the same 5 star recruit who was once committed to LSU but decided to sign with Notre Dame to be closer to home and his family, a decision which caused LSU’s coach, Les Miles, to classlessly say that Gunner didn’t have the “chest” or “swagger” to be the starting QB at LSU. An apology by Miles would be due right about now.
My condolences to Kiel and his family.
Hey cheese, hardly inappropriate article for you to bring this up again but since you desparately want to find a way to bring Les Miles into this I will respond. Les Miles owes Gunner Kiel NOTHING! In fact punk Kiel owes Les Miles an apology for the classless way he handled the situation. Oh and don’t call Gunner Kiel a “kid”, he’s an 18-year old adult.
@foreverlsu
If my bringing up Les Miles mocking an 18 year old for wanting to be closer to home in an article where one of his relatives passes away is “inappropriate”, what does that make your calling him a “punk” in that same article?
Because the article is about BLAIR Kiel and not about Gunner Kiel.
@foreverlsu
So you think it’s okay, in an article about someone who is deceased, to call his nephew a “punk” in the comment section of that same article?
If I am the only one that finds the exchange between these two bloggers inappropriate, I will walk away. IMO, though, this is definitely not the time nor the place to be bashing Gunner or Les. This family just lost a son, a father and an uncle yesterday. Let the family have a day of peace. RIP Blair.
Hey cheese, you brought Les Miles into the fold, not me. What is more relevant about BLAIR Keil was that he was arrested for domestic abuse in 2009 and drunken driving in 2010.
@foreverlsu
Now you’ve moved from trashing Blair Kiel’s nephew in an article about Blair Kiel’s death to trashing Blair, too?
Stay classy, sir. I’ll give LSU nation the benefit of the doubt that you don’t represent their viewpoint.
spreadthecheese says:
Apr 9, 2012 9:56 AM
Gunner Kiel is the same 5 star recruit who was once committed to LSU but decided to sign with Notre Dame to be closer to home and his family, a decision which caused LSU’s coach, Les Miles, to classlessly say that Gunner didn’t have the “chest” or “swagger” to be the starting QB at LSU. An apology by Miles would be due right about now.
__
Neither the time nor the place.
@bozosforall
I couldn’t disagree more. Gunner Kiel stayed close to home for moments exactly like this, and because of that decision he was essentially labeled a coward by LSU’s head coach in the media. It’s one of the only times I have ever seen a head coach call out a high school football player publicly.
I’m just waiting for Les to question Blair Kiel’s toughness!
sorry Cheese, but I don’t have much respect for anyone arrested for domestic abuse!
Great qb and class act. Too bad his nephew has fallen short in both areas.
Hey spread the cheese, have some objectivity will you? Gunner Kiel is not some ordinary high schooler; first of all he is already in college; and he called the attention to himself by flip-flopping and all the good vibe and publicity for being a top recuit. It comes in the territory. Gunner Kiel has to prove his has a pari and some toughness. That’s just reality in big time college football called Notre Dame.
As to Les Miles, you are the one who bring him into this, and it is fair for the LSU Nation to take fair shots here. This is a freaking blog, not the dude’s memorial. In my humble opinion Gunner has to show all of us that he has to grow a pair first. Cannot just hand it to him because his uncle is a QB at Notre Dame.
Maybe the kid wanted to get an education in addition to playing football- that would eliminate Alabama, LSU, Kentucky, Arkansas, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia- Notre Dame would get him the educations he seemed to want and also allow him to see his family more often.
If you’re not a redneck why would you want to go to any of those schools?
LSU fans are delusional. What did they ever accomplish before they started letting illiterate retards play football there?
Would you two just shut the f### up? Everyone knows that Les Miles molests collies but what does that have to do with this article?