Northwestern State University Student-Athlete Dead at 21: 'Tremendous Loss'

NSU President Dr. Marcus D. Jones announced Ronnie Caldwell Jr.'s death in a letter on the school's alumni website

Northwestern State University is mourning the death of one of its student-athletes.

On Thursday, NSU President Dr. Marcus D. Jones announced on the school's alumni website that Ronnie Caldwell Jr. — a Texas native who was a junior majoring in business administration — had died.

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"Ronnie’s dedication to the community was truly inspiring, as evidenced by him spending the summer coaching a local youth baseball team, teaching those children the values of competition and sportsmanship," his announcement read.

According to KTBS-TV, officers from the Natchitoches Police Department responded to a shots-fired call at an apartment complex shortly after 1 a.m. Upon arrival, Caldwell, 21, was found suffering "several gunshot wounds" and was pronounced dead by the Natchitoches Parish Coroner’s Office, reports KSLA.

No arrests have been made and the investigation remains ongoing, per the Natchitoches Parish Journal. PEOPLE has reached out to the NPD for comment.

Jones shared in his statement that counseling and support services would be available "to all students, faculty, and staff who may need them."

According to the university's athletics website, Caldwell was a transfer student who had previously played two seasons at Tyler Junior College, where he maintained a 3.7 grade point average.

"He appeared in all 11 games in 2022, starting 10, and finished seventh on the team in tackles," a news release on the website reads.

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Although he had yet to play in a game in 2023 because of an injury sustained in preseason camp, he served as a "de facto defensive assistant coach" and was named to the Southland Conference Commissioner's Fall Honor Roll.

While reflecting on his death, head football coach Brad Laird shared that it was a "tremendous loss" for the university.

"Ronnie Caldwell was a young man who had a bright future ahead of him on or off the football field. He was our voice in the locker room. When Ronnie spoke, others listened. The respect our football team had for Ronnie was evident," the statement continued. "He did not play a snap this year because of an injury, but his voice resonated with every member of our team from the first player to the 115th on our roster"

Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian echoed similar sentiments in his own statement, adding that "Caldwell was a devoted teammate, friend, brother, and son."

"His teammates, coaches and staff members who had the pleasure of knowing Ronnie will remember his ever-present smile and the way he could light up any room when he walked in," the statement continued. "Words truly cannot express the heartache we feel for Ronnie, his family, his teammates and our university community."

After news of Caldwell's death became public, the Southland Conference announced that the NSU football team's upcoming game had been canceled.

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"The decision was made following communication between the Southland Conference, Northwestern State University, and Nicholls State University administrations," an announcement on their website reads.

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