The death of ex-Colts running back Zurlon Tipton hit Frank Gore hard.
Teammates for much of last season, Gore and Tipton spent plenty of time together in the running back meeting room and in practices.
“This really messed me up,” Colts running back Frank Gore told the Indy Star. “He was a good dude. He really wanted football to work out. He was always great with the playbook but most of all, he was a great person. He loved to have fun. He was always loud and acting crazy in the locker room. That’s just who he was.”
The Colts retweeted a series of tweets on Tipton from current Colts players on the team’s official Twitter account.
Tipton played in 16 games for the Colts over the last two seasons. He was killed Tuesday when a gun he was carrying in a duffel bag accidentally discharged and Tipton was hit. He died after being transported to a Detroit hospital.
“Rest in peace, Zurlon,” Colts owner Jim Irsay tweeted. “My thoughts and prayers go out to the Tipton family.”
Tipton was a four-year contributor at Central Michigan and had 19 rushing touchdowns in 2012, his junior season.
“This is shocking and tragic news, and our condolences go out to Zurlon’s family and friends,” a statement from the Central Michigan athletic department said. “We knew Zurlon as a good guy, a captain and a student who grew as a person and a player on his way to getting his degree at CMU. What he did on the field in his career established him as one of the top running backs in CMU history.”
