Sports: College Basketball Coach Among Seven Killed In Plane Crash Returning From Final Four
Seven people — including Illinois State University associate men’s basketball coach Torrey Ward and deputy athletic director Aaron Leetch — died when their small plane crashed while heading back from the NCAA tournament final.
The aircraft went down overnight Monday about 2 miles east of the Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington, McLean County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Bill Tate said.
That’s about 5 miles from the campus of Illinois State, where Ward and Leetch both worked. It was not immediately known who else was on the aircraft.
“To lose a bunch of friends much too early is devastating,” head coach Dan Muller said in a statement. “To all of the families and friends, my deepest condolences and my prayers are with you. To Aaron Leetch, a friend, colleague, and mentor, I will miss you so much. And to my dear friend Torrey Ward, I love you so much, I will miss you every day and I can’t wait to see you again.
“On behalf of our entire program, we appreciate everyone respecting our privacy at this time to grieve, and we will all miss Aaron, Torrey and those involved. We are here for all families and friends, and we will stick together through this tragedy.”
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