MOBILE, Ala. – South Alabama assistant football coach Kurt Crain was found dead in his home Tuesday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Baldwin County coroner Stan Vinson said.
Crain, 47, was an All-American linebacker at Auburn in 1987 and played two NFL seasons, with the Oilers and Packers.
He had served as South Alabama's linebackers coach since joining the program in 2008.
"It appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Vinson told the Press-Register, adding that an investigation into his death was continuing and that an autopsy was expected to be performed Wednesday.
Crain suffered with prostaitis, an infection of the prostate, last season and underwent at least three surgeries.
Most of his prostate had been removed and he said he had lost 32 pounds in the early stages of his treatment.
"We've lost a great man, coach and mentor at the University of South Alabama," Jaguars coach Joey Jones said in a statement.
"In my opinion, Kurt was one of the best overall coaches I've ever seen. He cared about the players, they respected him greatly, and he was a tremendous football coach and motivator."
Crain is survived by his wife, Susan, sons Blain and Jacob, and daughter Shelby.
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