Sad news: Indianapolis Colts player has passed away but who was he?

The Colts and their fans were dealt a blow this week, with the sad news confirming that one of their former players had passed away at a young age.

While details remain unclear, what is certain is that the Colts are in mourning this week following the passing of a player who was part of the team that delivered a historic championship to the city of Indianapolis.

Former Colts player Matt Ulrich passes away

There is sad news to report this week in Indianapolis after Colts owner Jim Irsay confirmed the death of the team’s former offensive lineman Matt Ulrich who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 41. While no cause of death has been released, it goes without saying that Ulrich’s passing comes as a shock. In his statement on social media, Irsay made it clear that this was a difficult moment. “I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of Matt Ulrich. Matt was with us only two seasons but left his mark on many. Great guy, I hear he was a great dad — and he was a Super Bowl champ. My prayers to his family.”

Ulrich is survived by his wife Alison and their four sons, Gunther, Dalton, Bowden, and Thoreau. It is understood that those close to Ulrich created a fundraiser in an effort to assist his family. As of Thursday night, it had reportedly amassed more than $53,000 in donations. The landing page of the fund reads, “All funds will go directly to the Ulrich boys. Thank you for the continued prayers, support, love, and lifting of their family.”

Who was Matt Ulrich?

Though his career in the NFL was brief, one could definitely argue that it was productive. After joining the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of Northwestern, Ulrich secured a spot on the Colts’ roster following training camp and would go on to play two seasons in the league, both of which were with the Colts – 2005 and 2006. Across those two campaigns he would play in a total of 10 games, however, he was part of the Colts team that defeated the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI (February 4th, 2007). Indeed, that was actually the last game of his NFL career. After he hung up his cleats, Ulrich went on to serve as a player advisor for Harvard’s Football Players Health Study, a chief growth officer and partner for Profitable Ideas Exchange, and as the head coach of Mountain Edge Athletics in Bozeman, Montana. It goes without saying Matt Ulrich will be missed.