Stringer’s Death Still Hits Hard

CANTON, Ohio —  The exchange was friendly but brief. Just an old-time Minnesota Viking offensive lineman introducing himself to a current one, a rising star.

Now, of course, Ron Yary will never forget meeting Korey Stringer.

“I met him at the Pro Bowl last year,” Yary said this week. “I didn’t want to bother him. I just went up and said, ‘Hello.’ He was very quiet, but he seemed like a really nice, sincere guy. Very respectful.”

This is one of the proudest times in the lives of Yary and six others who will be inducted today into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But on a weekend in Canton traditionally bubbling over with parties and toasts, the death of Stringer, who succumbed to heatstroke at 27 Wednesday after two days of Viking training camp, is never far from anyone’s mind.

“Everybody’s talking about it here,” said Yary, who played collegiately at USC. “It’s just hard to believe a pro athlete could collapse like that. You think you’re impervious to anything. We’re just kind of shocked.”

Former Ram lineman Jackie Slater, who also will be inducted today, said: “It saddens us all, but we can’t question it. Coming in here on the heels of that had everyone down. We all had to verbalize our sorrow.”

Sixty miles away, in Stringer’s hometown of Warren, Ohio, he will be remembered in a public service Sunday, followed by a private funeral service and burial Monday.

His Viking teammates, family and friends paid their last respects Friday at the Washburn-McReavy chapel in Edina, Minn., a Minneapolis suburb.

About 400 people attended the service. Among mourners were NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, former Viking Alan Page--now a justice of Minnesota’s Supreme Court--and Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.).

“All of Minnesota feels this is so tragic, a little boy, a young man,” Wellstone said.

In an opening prayer, Viking receiver Cris Carter, an ordained minister, called Stringer “not famous but unforgettable.”

Viking receiver Randy Moss eulogized Stringer, holding up his No. 77 jersey.

“I want to pass this jersey around. I want everybody to touch it, kiss it, wipe your tears on it,” he said. “I don’t care what you do with it, as long as you feel this jersey. And we’re going to send it off with Korey, and I’m not leaving this podium until I get this jersey back.”

Moss concluded: “Big fella, I’m going to miss you. I love you, brother.”

Todd Steussie, who played opposite Stringer as the Viking left tackle before signing as a free agent with Carolina this year, said Panther Coach George Seifert gave him permission to miss as much time as he needed from training camp in order to pay his respects to Stringer.

“Korey had a big impact on many lives,” Steussie said.

Hundreds of fans waited beneath a scorching sun for a public viewing that followed the private service. As a Viking flag flapped in the wind outside the funeral chapel, police distributed water to the waiting crowd.

The Vikings practiced Friday morning without full pads at their training camp in Mankato, Minn., about 75 miles southwest of Edina. Coach Dennis Green said the team’s coaching and medical staffs would not discuss the death until after Stringer’s burial.

The Minnesota Dept. of Labor and Industry is continuing an investigation into the death through its Occupational Health and Safety Division. Department officials said such investigations are routine in workplace deaths and that results are expected to be released in about a month.

Meantime, in a memo obtained by the Washington Post, Tagliabue called upon all 31 NFL owners to “personally ensure” that their teams’ managements meet with medical and coaching personnel “to thoroughly review the practices and procedures that your club follows in the treatment and prevention of heat exhaustion and other heat-related illnesses.”

Stringer died several hours after practicing Tuesday morning in sweltering conditions--a temperature of 91 and high humidity created a heat index of 109 degrees--at the Viking camp.

The NFL has no standardized rules covering heat-related issues, but teams are supposed to follow medical guidelines published in the Journal of the National Athletic Trainers Assn., league spokesman Joe Browne told the Post.

Stringer will be remembered at the Hall of Fame induction. ESPN’s Chris Berman, master of ceremonies for the event, plans to mention him in his speech and a video tribute to Stringer will be played for the crowd on hand.

The event already figured to be poignant. Former Miami Dolphin linebacker Nick Buoniconti will be introduced by his son, Marc, who was paralyzed from the neck down while playing football for The Citadel in 1985.

Buoniconti, the first member of the Dolphins’ No-Name Defense to reach the Hall of Fame, said he’s pleased about the personal honor but thrilled he can garner more attention for the Miami Project, a foundation his family started to study spinal-cord injuries.

“Marc and I have sort of transcended the father-son relationship,” he said.

“We’ve become buddies. He’s become truly just such a wonderful friend. I’m still his father, but our relationship is just so very close. I’ve seen over the last 16 years so much courage and commitment and determination to overcome the problem of spinal-cord injury. Because of the respect I have for him, the decision [to have him make the introduction] was not hard.”

The Washington Post contributed to this story.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

NFL HALL OF FAME

* Where: Canton, Ohio

* When: Today, 8:30 a.m., ESPN2

* Inductees: Offensive linemen Ron Yary, Mike Munchak and Jackie Slater; wide receiver Lynn Swann; defensive end Jack Youngblood; linebacker Nick Buoniconti; coach Marv Levy.