Former Alabama running back Ahmaad Galloway was found dead in his St. Louis apartment on Monday, according to WVTM13.
Galloway, 42, was an eighth-grade English teacher at Compton-Drew Middle School in St. Louis, where school principal Susan Reid said he was found dead during a check-up social assistance.
“Ahmad was always on time, very responsible. So we knew maybe something was wrong,” Reid told WVTM13. “Nothing was disturbed in Ahmaad’s apartment, so we believe it could have been a medical issue.”
A cause of death has not been determined for Galloway, who played for the Crimson Tide from 1999 to 2002, finishing with 1,830 yards and 17 touchdowns.
“The medical examiner is working to find out how Ahmad died,” Reid said. “The family is meeting from different parts of the country before deciding on funeral arrangements.”
Galloway primarily served as a backup to future NFL MVP Shaun Alexander during his time at Tuscaloosa. He was selected by the Broncos in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft and missed his rookie season while rehabilitating a knee injury he suffered during his senior year at Alabama.
“When Ahmaad came to Bama he was humble, but mature beyond his years,” former Crimson Tide offensive lineman Griff Redmill told WCTM13. “He was mature and very well organized – I knew straight away he was someone who could be my friend for life.”
Upon his return to the field, Galloway played in NFL Europe with the Scottish Claymores, before spending a season with the San Diego Chargers. He last played for Frankfurt Galaxy in 2005.
Galloway became a high school coach in 2010. He is survived by two children, Austin and Aubrey.
“Ahmaad was always calm and humble,” Galloway’s sister Kimberley Slaughter said. “My brother loved football growing up and later loved his kids Austin and Aubrey.”
Reid said the door to Galloway’s classroom at the school would be closed out of respect, adding that students would make signs and banners in his memory. Compton-Drew Middle School students receive counseling.