NC State’s Corey Smith missing at sea

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Horrible news being reported — Former NC State defensive end and current Detroit Lion, Corey Smith, appears to be one of the NFL players aboard a fishing boat that is missing in the ocean.

Link to Tampa article just updated in the last 10 minutes.

The Coast Guard is searching for at least two professional football players and two other people who left Clearwater Pass about 6:30 a.m. Saturday in a 21-foot, center-console boat and are believed missing.

The Coast Guard identified three of the missing boaters as Victor “Marquis” Cooper, Nick Skyler and Corey Smith.

The Coast Guard was alerted about 1:30 a.m. today when the boat did not return as expected. The search started about 2 a.m., centered about 50 miles from Clearwater Pass. The search area covers about 750 square miles.

The search involves a 47-foot boat, a helicopter, airplane and cutter, the Coast Guard said.

The Oakland Raiders team Web site lists a Victor “Marquis” Cooper as a linebacker in the 2008 season who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004 and 2005.

The Detroit Lions team site lists a Corey Smith as a defensive end who played for the Bucs from 2002 to 2004.

The searchers are encountering winds of about 45 mph and waves ranging from 6 to 10 feet high with white caps.

The boaters left while weather conditions were forecast to grow worse by Saturday night.

At 4:30 a.m., the National Weather Service marine forecast said a small craft advisory, meaning winds were expected to top 20 mph, would likely be issued Saturday night.

At 3:30 p.m. Saturday the weather service also warned of high winds and rough seas.

Smith has a unique claim within Wolfpack history – he has played for three different NC State head coaches. As a slightly undersized defensive end Smith was recruited from Richmond, VA to NC State to play for Mike O’Cain. After playing three years for Chuck Amato Smith began his NFL career playing on Monte Kiffin‘s defense with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 2008 season was Smith’s most successful in the league as he tallied 30 tackles and 3 sacks and created two turnovers. It is very hard to imagine that Smith has just finished his 7th season in the NFL. Time flies.

At the moment there is no word from NC State as GoPack.com has not mentioned the news.

Our prayers are with Smith’s family and friends.

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12 Responses to NC State’s Corey Smith missing at sea

  1. MrPlywood 03/01/2009 at 2:03 PM #

    Hope for the best.

  2. wufpup76 03/01/2009 at 4:18 PM #

    Terrible. Praying for the best.

  3. Coach Abatemarco 03/01/2009 at 6:48 PM #

    I AM PROBABLY ONE OF THE ONLY LIONS AND WOLFPACK FANS ON THIS SITE. IT HAS BEEN A ROUGH YEAR IF YOU LOVE LIONS FOOTBALL AND WOLFPACK BASKETBALL AS MUCH AS I DO…

    HE WAS A SPARKPLUG FOR THE LIONS AND PLAYED WITH A HIGH MOTOR. I WAS ACTUALLY HOPING HE WOULD RESIGN NEXT WEEK HE WAS ALSO SAID TO BE A CLASS ACT IN A TOUGH CITY LIKE DETROIT THAT NEEDS ALL THE CHARACTER ROLE MODELS IT COULD GET.

    AT THE END OF THE YEAR HE STARTED A FEW GAMES.
    HE WORKED HARD AND I HOPE HE IS STILL PUTTING UP A FIGHT IF HE IS STILL LOST AT SEA. IT JUST KEEPS GETTING TOUGHER AND TOUGHER AS A PACK AND LIONS FAN…

    MAKES US START TO THINK THAT SPORTS MAY NOT BE AS IMPORTANT AS WE SOMETIMES PLACE IT IN AMERICAN SOCIETY. I HOPE THEY FIND HIM AND I HOPE THE PACK WINS TONIGHT.

    GO STATE!

  4. redfred2 03/01/2009 at 7:21 PM #

    I’m not familiar with those waters, but man, a 21 foot boat, that does not sound very encouraging at all. If they were in a boat that small, I wouldn’t think they would have gone out with those types of seas already building. It must have blown in quickly. Let’s pray that they found some shelter somewhere and are ALL soon found safe and sound.

    RedFred, agreed completely. That’s an awfully small craft for anything much bigger than Lake Norman — and I have been on my own 19.5′ boot out on Norman in a storm where my seamanship was stressed to the max…and being from Cocoa Beach, Florida, as you might be able to guess, I am no stranger to boats or to the sea. — Alpha

  5. Alpha Wolf 03/02/2009 at 12:10 AM #

    I think we should all say a prayer not only for Corey but for all involved. This tragedy reaches not only onto each person on the boat, but also to family and friends.

  6. coppertop 03/02/2009 at 1:33 AM #

    I hope that they find these boaters… As a USCG Pilot had they left from Panama City to Western Louisiana, I’d be out looking for them very soon I am sure. unfortunately our AOR does not cover that area.
    However, having participated in many SAR cases in the gulf, you’d be surprised how bad the weather can be out there.
    Using past experience only I’d have to echo Alpha and redfred in that a 21 foot boat at least 50 miles off shore is not a good situation to be in. At least they have a GPS position to help narrow it down, but as time passes, the search area becomes larger and larger. On the other hand if they are with their boat, they have a good chance of being found.
    The article does not mention it, but the best way to find some one is with a EPIRB or Electronic Radio Indicating Beacon. We have the ability to find it with satelittes and know who is in trouble, what boat they were on (if it was registered), and they greatly increase the chance of finding someone in the open water.
    If anyone on here goes off shore often, please carry one with you. It can make all the difference. I’ve done SAR off of NC and from the Northern Gulf Coast and those things almost take all of the Search out of Search and rescue.
    Miracles happen everyday and I hope that they find these young men. I can assure you that my friends are searching diligently.

  7. SaccoV 03/02/2009 at 1:25 PM #

    MSNBC reported some time ago (about 30 minutes maybe) that Nick Schuyler was apparently the person who was clinging to the edge of the boat. So far, no good news yet for Corey Smith or his family, or that of the other three men.

  8. ryno84 03/02/2009 at 2:50 PM #

    Well they found they guy from USF….the others are nowhere to be found. The boat flipped in rough seas while anchored as per Yahoo.

  9. GAWolf 03/02/2009 at 4:11 PM #

    As someone who has been through a horrific boating accident at night in the winter, it’s an awful experience. I pray that they will be found alive. The will to live will cause humans to do amazing things. I just hope they were able to get life jackets on. That, obviously, will make all the difference.

    In our accident we did not have life jackets on. I grew up on the water, we were in a very familiar place, and we had made the same trip nearly a hundred times before in the dark and daylight hours. I still probably will not wear a life jacket in warm weather situations, as I feel 100% comfortable on a boat. However, I will never again get into a boat of any size at any place without a jacket when the weather and/or the water is cold. It’s just idiotic.

    I also was the first found. Waiting to hear the fates of my friend and father was much worse than being in the water. Fortunately, our story ended well. I hope this one does, too.

    My prayers are will all of those men and their families.

  10. redfred2 03/02/2009 at 8:51 PM #

    Alpha, GAWolf, I had some responses for both of you, but they didn’t seem quite appropriate because of the nature of this thread. Later maybe.

  11. branjawn 03/03/2009 at 4:56 PM #

    Search over

    Sad day in Wolfpack Nation.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Corey Smith - 03/01/2009

    mOEluf Great article.Really looking forward to read more. Cool.

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