Former Pack standout lineman Colmer dies

Chris Colmer, who was a standout offensive lineman for N.C. State from 2000 to 2004, has died, his agent said today. He was 30.

Colmer's agent, Jonathan Feinsod, said Colmer's family is grieving, and he declined to provide further details. Colmer had been teaching and coaching at the high school level on Long Island.

"It's just a tragedy," Feinsod said.

Colmer, who was from Port Jefferson, N.Y., was a third-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, selected No. 91 overall, in 2005. After spending the 2006 season on the reserve non-football injury list, he was released on June 6, 2007.

At N.C. State, Colmer started 46 of the 47 games in which he played over four seasons. He was a co-winner of the team's Jim Ritcher Award, giving annually to the Wolfpack's best offensive lineman, as a junior in 2002.

He missed the 2003 season with Parsonage Turner Syndrome, a rare viral disorder that caused numbness and discomfort in his neck and shoulder. But he was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA for 2004, and responded with a solid season that resulted in the draft selection and his brief NFL career.

Ken Tysiac