UNC Mascot

[LittleRed212]

I don't like UNC, but this is sad. I don't see any official word of it yet, but my friend in NC told me that he has passed on.

************

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourney07/news/story?id=2812224&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

Family, friends hold bedside vigil for Ray


HACKENSACK, N.J. -- More than two dozen family members and friends held a bedside vigil Sunday for Jason Ray, the North Carolina student who suits up as the school's mascot who was in extremely critical condition after being hit by a car.

The 21-year-old senior remained on life support Sunday, two days after he was struck near his hotel in Fort Lee. Ray, who portrays UNC's ram mascot, Rameses, was in New Jersey for the NCAA men's tournament game between the Tar Heels and Southern California at the Continental Airlines Arena.

Ray's father, Emmitt, who flew to New Jersey in a friend's private plane after getting word of his son's life-threatening head injuries, said doctors hold out little hope for his son's recovery "short of the intervention of the Lord."

Ray left his hotel to go to a nearby convenience store Friday afternoon, and was walking back along Route 4 when he was struck from behind by an SUV.

The driver stopped immediately to call 911. No charges have been filed.

"We've known Jason since he was 11 years old -- he is an awesome kid," said Jodi Stewart, a neighbor of the Ray family who attends the same church in Concord, N.C. "I never knew a kid who was more full of life. He was excited every day. He loved what he was doing, he loved God, his family, and being the school's mascot. We have not given up hope."

A group of about 40 people attended a prayer session held on the UNC campus Sunday afternoon, said Laura Ely, a UNC senior who met Ray early in their freshman year. She described Ray as "an amazing person" who has a large, diverse group of friends at UNC and other nearby schools.

"All we can do is hope and know that miracles do happen," she said Sunday night.

Stewart said about 30 of Ray's family and friends were at Hackensack University Medical Center Sunday, including his parents, Emmitt and Charlotte Ray, two brothers, and five high school friends who lived with Ray in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Stewart said Ray is an Eagle scout and is involved in his church. While in high school at Jay M. Robinson High School in Concord, Ray was often seen cheering in the stands at basketball games, she said.
Ray's dad told The Star-Ledger that his son "absolutely loved" dressing up as Rameses, despite the costume's bulk.

"It was his way of supporting the team," Emmitt Ray said. "There are things you just can't explain. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time. He wasn't doing anything he wasn't supposed to be doing. He was 200 yards from the hotel."

Police said Gagik Hovsepyan, 51, the driver who hit Ray, had a valid driver's license and did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. His son was asleep in the SUV at the time, police said.

At 6-foot-5, Jason Ray was such a commanding presence that when UNC coach Roy Williams first met him in the campus gym, he wondered aloud why Ray wasn't on his team.

"I'm too slow and I can't jump," Jason told Williams. "But I can be of assistance in other ways, Coach."

Ray is scheduled to graduate in May with a 3.6 GPA, majoring in business administration with a minor in religion. He has a sales and marketing job lined up in nearby Raleigh, N.C.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

 

[Yeagermeister]

Very sad


Rumor has it the car that hit him had a vanity license plate that said CoachK

 

[trickblue]

update...

According to ESPN he has passed away... RIP...

 

[SA_Gunslinger]

Very sad


Rumor has it the car that hit him had a vanity license plate that said CoachK

that was wrong....but i laughed.




sad to hear he died, though.

 

[LittleRed212]

Rumor has it the car that hit him had a vanity license plate that said CoachK

:nono:

 

[Hostile]

Updated: March 26, 2007, 8:28 PM ET
UNC student mascot dies after traffic accident

NEWARK, N.J. -- Jason Ray, a North Carolina student who performed as a mascot for the school's basketball team, died three days after being struck by a car hours before an NCAA Tournament game. He was 21.

Ray died Monday morning, said Steve Kirschner, the university's associate athletic director for communications.

An NCAA official told ESPN.com that the men's basketball tournament selection committee is discussing with the four Final Four teams to determine how they will memoralize Ray's death prior to Saturday's national semifinals.

"On behalf of the NCAA and its member institutions, we extend our condolences to the family and friends of Jason Ray, the young man who died this morning as a result of injuries sustained after an accident late last week in New Jersey," NCAA president Dr. Myles Brand said in a statement released by the NCAA. "Jason was in East Rutherford for the Division I men's basketball tournament East Regional, where he was to serve as the mascot for the University of North Carolina and be among the thousands of young people who get to be a part of this special event. It is with great sorrow that we learned of Jason's passing."

Ray had been in critical condition at Hackensack University Medical Center since the accident Friday afternoon. He was hit from behind while walking on a highway shoulder near his Fort Lee hotel after going to a nearby convenience store.

Ray performed as UNC's ram mascot, Rameses. He was scheduled to graduate in May with a major in business administration and a minor in religion. He was in New Jersey for the men's game between North Carolina and Southern California.

"Jason was a wonderful son, brother and friend," Ray's brother, Allen, said in a statement released by the university. "He leaves behind a legacy of friendship, laughter, excitement for life and a genuine love for all the people he touched during his all-too-short life."

Emmitt Ray said his son "absolutely loved" dressing up as Rameses, despite the costume's bulk.

"It was his way of supporting the team," the father told The Star-Ledger of Newark. "There are things you just can't explain. He wasn't doing anything he wasn't supposed to be doing. He was 200 yards from the hotel."

No charges have been filed against the driver of the sport utility vehicle. Police said the driver stopped immediately to try to help Ray and called 911.

Police also said the driver had a valid driver's license and did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

On Sunday, more than two dozen family members and friends held a bedside vigil for Ray. About 40 people attended a prayer session for him on the UNC campus Sunday afternoon, said Laura Ely, a UNC senior who met Ray early in their freshman year.

Ely recalled in an e-mail how Ray auditioned for the mascot role.

"I remember vividly Jason telling me about trying out for a position as UNC mascot," she wrote. "He was instructed to dress up in costume and walk around the pit [a common area on campus] and interact with students as if he were at a game interacting with fans. He obviously made a good impression because he was soon accepted and began dressing for games right away."

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

 

[the kid 05]

My Blessings to his family,

any update on the charges being brought upon the driver?