USC's Danelo is dead

[dime]

"...at the bottom of a cliff"

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2722825&name=FPT-2722825-010623&srvc=sz (http://x.go.com/cgi/x.pl?goto=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2722825&name=FPT-2722825-010623&srvc=sz)

[GoldenEagle]

Mario Danelo, a kicker for the USC football team, was found dead Saturday in San Pedro, Calif.

Danelo's body was found at the bottom of White Point Cliff in San Pedro, according for a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department. Police did not release further details.

Danelo, a redshirt junior, walked on with the Trojans in 2003 and earned a scholarship in 2005, according to the USC athletic department's Web site.

He was 15-for-16 on field goals this season and made 44 of 48 PATs, leading the team in scoring with 89 points.

Danelo is the son of former NFL kicker Joe Danelo.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2722825

[wade moore]

Um, wow.

Sad news, and a strange story with such a lack of details.

[wade moore]

Tie goes to the runner? - http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=55886

[GoldenEagle]

Tie goes to the runner? - http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=55886

Interesting. If you want to combine the two threads (or even delete this one) then I have no problem with that.

[st.cronin]

My first thought was that it's another prank, like the one with Lendale White. But it's probably not. Very sad.

[Rizon]

Do they have another kicker on the team?

[kingfc22]

Sad. 120 ft. cliff. Almost makes me want to assume alcohol was involved.

[Lorena]

Sad news indeed.

[Eaglesfan27]

Very sad news.

[bhlloy]

Do they have another kicker on the team?

Not of Danelo's quality, no. Although that is hardly the most important thing right now - devastating news and everyone's thoughts are with the family.

[Emiliano]

Very sad news.

[tucker rocky]

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=55812

Top Ten Signs You're Watching Too Much College Football

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Wednesday night's Late Show with David Letterman:

10. During breakfast, you ask your son to pass the Nokia Sugar Bowl

9. Canceled family trip to Mexico, going to Boise State instead

8. Mailed nude photos of yourself to Brent Musburger

7. Insist on being called "Coach" even though you're a dentist

6. Told your daughter, "I'd love to go to your wedding, but the Northern Illinois-TCU is on"

5. Every time you walk ten yards, three of your friends have to move the chains

4. Instead of a shower, you dump a bucket of Gatorade on yourself

3. Always asking, "What would Joe Paterno do?"

2. Your solution to Iraq-- "I dunno, a playoff system?"

1. In bed, your wife says, "Get a Trojan" -- you come back with USC Kicker Mario Danelo

Sad news.

Although the thread I mentioned was done before the tragedy.

[Rizon]

Not of Danelo's quality, no. Although that is hardly the most important thing right now - devastating news and everyone's thoughts are with the family.

Well, I wasn't really thinking about who his replacement would be, but I was thinking about that other kicker that stabbed the other guy.

[Poli]

Actually, I didn't know who Danelo was. I thought maybe he was a basketball player or a coach...someone I should know if I cared about USC.

Still, sad news.

[Swaggs]

Pretty sad news.

[DanGarion]

Well, I wasn't really thinking about who his replacement would be, but I was thinking about that other kicker that stabbed the other guy.

The three kicks USC had were Danelo, Van Balcrom and Buehler. But Van Balcrom was kicked out of school right before the Rose Bowl because he didn't keep his grades up. And if I'm thinking correctly Buehler was also a back up FB.

It is really terrible news. I couldn't believe it when my dad told me tonight. I thought it might have been Van Balcrom. The news here is they still don't know what happened.

[Noble_Platypus]

Did he piss someone off/owe some money? Found at the bottom of a cliff sounds suspicious.

[bhlloy]

The three kicks USC had were Danelo, Van Balcrom and Buehler. But Van Balcrom was kicked out of school right before the Rose Bowl because he didn't keep his grades up. And if I'm thinking correctly Buehler was also a back up FB.

It is really terrible news. I couldn't believe it when my dad told me tonight. I thought it might have been Van Balcrom. The news here is they still don't know what happened.

Van Blarcom was purely a kickoff specialist, but like you say he is gone and no chance of coming back. Buehler is a JC guy with a cannon for a leg but is very raw and very unreliable. He was a backup safety for a long time this season and fullback for a while - he's something like 6'3 220 and runs a 4.5 - a very good athlete. USC pretty much has to get a kicker from somewhere else for next year, but I doubt there will be a shortage of guys looking to walk on.

The latest news from around here is that the police have ruled out foul play - it's either a horrible accident or a suicide, and there seems to be nothing to suggest suicide at this point either.

[Butter]

I don't know how you can rule out foul play when you find a guy at the bottom of a cliff.

[KevinNU7]

Sad story.

I found this line odd. That is alot of misses
and made 44 of 48 PATs...

[Oilers9911]

I don't know how you can rule out foul play when you find a guy at the bottom of a cliff.

Maybe there were no signs of a struggle at the top of the cliff or no injuries found that were caused before the fall. The investigators must have figured that out.

[Oilers9911]

Sad story.

I found this line odd. That is alot of misses

Bad snaps, bad holds maybe.

[DanGarion]

Van Blarcom was purely a kickoff specialist, but like you say he is gone and no chance of coming back. Buehler is a JC guy with a cannon for a leg but is very raw and very unreliable. He was a backup safety for a long time this season and fullback for a while - he's something like 6'3 220 and runs a 4.5 - a very good athlete. USC pretty much has to get a kicker from somewhere else for next year, but I doubt there will be a shortage of guys looking to walk on.

The latest news from around here is that the police have ruled out foul play - it's either a horrible accident or a suicide, and there seems to be nothing to suggest suicide at this point either.

Yeah Van Blarcom could boot the ball into the endzone on every kick. He had a heck of a leg. Danelo really had impressed me this season.

[Eaglesfan27]

I don't know how you can rule out foul play when you find a guy at the bottom of a cliff.


Seems odd to me too. Certainly it could be determined to be unlikely as this point, but I'm just surprised that it is ruled out completely.

[DanGarion]

Seems odd to me too. Certainly it could be determined to be unlikely as this point, but I'm just surprised that it is ruled out completely.

I think the main reason is because it was an area he was familiar with and frequented. He hiked many of the trails in the area.

[Ben E Lou]

Seems odd to me too. Certainly it could be determined to be unlikely as this point, but I'm just surprised that it is ruled out completely.I'm sure they have more evidence than has been made public, but I'd agree with this.

[JonInMiddleGA]

http://sports.myway.com/news/02052007/v0287.html

Coroner: USC Kicker Drunk When He Plunged to Death Last Month
Feb 5, 1:47 PM (ET)
By JEFF WILSON

LOS ANGELES (AP) -Southern California kicker Mario Danelo was drunk when he plunged over a cliff to his death, but the coroner's office Monday was unable to say why he fell.

A toxicological report accompanying Danelo's autopsy report found he had 0.23 blood-alcohol level, nearly three times the legal limit in California. No drugs were detected in his body, the report said.

The autopsy report said the cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries, but "because of the unanswered questions, we are stating the manner of death as undetermined," Deputy Medical Examiner Jeffrey Gutstadt of the Los Angeles County Coroner's office wrote in the report.

The 21-year-old player was found Jan. 6 more than 100 feet down a rocky cliff in San Pedro. Police said from the outset that foul play was ruled out and his death was either an accident or a suicide.

Following Danelo's death, several Southern California players said they were convinced the kicker did not take his own life.

A USC spokesman declined to comment about the coroner's report. Danelo's brother, Joey Danelo, was not immediately available for comment.

The report also couldn't ascertain Danelo's state of mind before his death, but he "would have had to scale a wall to get to the strip of land before the steep drop of about 150 feet while under the influence of alcohol."