(ReliableNews.org) – Born in 1981, Matt Ulrich took to the game of football at Streamwood High School in Illinois as a teen. He continued playing the sport at Northwestern University, where he led the players to the Bowl games — twice. In 2005, Ulrich signed with the Indianapolis Colts, playing as an offensive guard, joining the team in its Super Bowl XLI win in 2007 against the Chicago Bears. He subsequently retired from the sport. Sadly, the team’s owner recently shared some heartbreaking news about Ulrich.
On November 8, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay posted on social media that the retired Super Bowl champ had died at the age of 41. Irsay said he was “heartbroken” about the athlete’s passing. He said even though Ulrich was only with the Colts for two seasons, he “left his mark,” calling the man a “great guy” and a “great dad.” The post didn’t share the cause of the former football player’s death. Several others joined Irsay, posting tributes to the fallen athlete on social media, relaying their admiration and sadness.
After leaving the sport, Ulrich cofounded DexaFit, a company that offers body fat and metabolic testing in different areas of the US. According to People, he worked for the Harvard Football Players Health Study as a player advisor and served as a chief growth officer with Profitable Ideas Exchange.
While Ulrich was from Illinois, he and his wife always dreamed of raising their family in Montana — their dream location. In his biography, the former ball player said he moved to Bozeman with his family to create jobs for others with the same dream. Ulrich shared that he had four pre-teen sons who were the lights of his life and kept him “on [his] toes.” One of his “true passions,” he said, was coaching “young athletes” and helping them “reach their full potential.”
Ulrich said his grandfather encouraged him as a young boy to push through to reach his goals — and he did just that, even if his life was cut too short.
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