Tyler Trent, the Purdue alum and Honorary Captain of Boiler Football, who faced an aggressive form of osteosarcoma and became a household name, has died. He was 20 years old.
Trent’s battle with cancer, and his love of his Boilers, came to light in September 2017 piece in the Journal & Courier. After undergoing more than seven hours of chemo at Riley Children’s Hospital in Indy, Trent returned to campus to camp outside of Ross-Ade stadium with his best friend, Jeff Seals. They wanted to make sure they were in the front row of the student section for the next day’s game against Michigan. That’s when the J&C’s Mike Carmin happened upon Trent and Seals in their tent and told the story.
As the Indy Star notes, “Trent’s story, bolstered by his extraordinary maturity and positivity inspired millions and, in turn, generated awareness and donations for cancer research. The Purdue super fan was the subject of ESPN features, named an honorary team captain for the Old Oaken Bucket game and received the Sagamore of the Wabash, the highest honor for Indiana civilians.” Most recently, he served as Honorary Captain last Friday’s Music City Bowl, which saw Trent’s beloved Boilers face off against the Auburn Tigers.
In September, Trent announced via Twitter that his cancer was terminal and he was leaving school to enter hospice care. But even though he was left wheel-chair bound, with a left arm that had succumbed to the disease, Trent maintained a positive outlook on life. He chose to use each day he was given to do something to make the world a little better.
“Though I am in hospice care and have to wake up every morning knowing that the day might be my last, I still have a choice to make: to make that day the best it can be,” Trent wrote in a guest column for IndyStar in early December. “Yet, isn’t that a choice we all have every day? After all, nobody knows the amount of days we have left. Some could say we are all in hospice to a certain degree.”
“What gave him a sense of love and purpose touched all of us and inspired all of us,” Jeff Brohm, Purdue Football head coach told the Indy Star. “There was no quit in him. There was a lot of fight in him. It’s like you couldn’t get him down. While I’m sure he was in pain and suffering, he put a smile on his face.”
That smile lit up the post-game press conference when the Boilers defeated Ohio State back in October. Everyone though Ohio State had the game in the bag in the lead up. Everyone except Tyler. He predicted the Boilers would win, and made the trek to Ross-Ade stadium to watch his prediction come true.
Tyler Trent left an indelible mark on Purdue, on Lafayette, on Indiana, and on the country. He reminded us to do our part every day to help others; to do our small part to make the world a better place. He showed us what it means to be thankful for each day we’re given. And he demonstrated that greatness is achieved simply by choosing to live our best life each and every day.
Thank you, for the life lessons Tyler. Rest in peace.
#TylerStrong 🙌 🙏 🚂 pic.twitter.com/ayBcmX4OH1
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) January 2, 2019
