Joey Kraemer, a defensive lineman with Eastern Kentucky, died in a single-car wreck this weekend. He was 19 years old.
Kraemer was in his second season of college football. He originally signed with UTEP out of Archbishop Alter High School in Dayton (Ohio), and was a native of the town of Kettering. Kentucky State Police were alerted to the wreck around 8 a.m. Sunday morning in Madison County and discovered a car that had gone off the road and had hit a tree, but there was no indication in the report of a time estimate of when the actual wreck took place over night. No drugs or alcohol were involved, according to the state police.
“The news that we lost one of our own is devastating to me, our team and our coaches,” Eastern Kentucky head coach Dean Hood said in a statement. “We pray that God will give strength to Joey’s family during their time of mourning. Joey will truly be missed by all of us he touched, not only because of what he accomplished on the football field, but because of who he was as a person and the impact he made on our lives.”
The school also released a statement:
“The EKU community is saddened by the news of the passing of Joey Kraemer. We offer our deepest sympathy to his family, friends and teammates. Counseling services are available for any students, faculty or staff during this difficult time. The Colonel family mourns the loss of a promising student athlete, taken from us far too soon.”
Kraemer, a three-star defensive lineman coming out of high school according to the 247Sports.com ranking, had redshirted at UTEP last fall and had not played in the first three games this year for the Colonels. He was also offered scholarships by Air Force, Ball State, Florida Atlantic, Southern Miss and Youngstown State coming out of high school.
