The Eastern Kentucky University football team is mourning the loss off one of its members. 19 year old Joey Kraemer, a redshirt defensive lineman, died over the weekend after his SUV struck a tree off Tates Creek Road in Madison County. EKU Head Coach Dean Hood says Kraemer arrived in Richmond in August, after transferring from the University of Texas El Paso. “He got here for camp and our guys instantly connected with Joey because he’s the kind of person he is; a hard worker, cares about his teammates and so our guys instantly accepted him like our guys are phenomenal at that,” said Hood.
EKU quarterback Bennie Coney called the accident ‘tragic’ and Kraemer a ‘brother’. Coney, a transfer himself from the University of Cincinnati, said he believes Kraemer would want his teammates to keep working hard and play through him. “This is tragic man, like this just doesn’t happen often, Coney said. “So we’ve got to face adversity. We’ve got to put the gear on, put our head down and go.”
Eastern plays the University of Kentucky this Saturday. UK officials say Kraemer will be honored with a playing of ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ before the game.
