Gamecock community mourns passing of DJ Park, former USC football player

Former South Carolina offensive lineman Joseph “DJ” Park has died, his sister Breana posted Sunday evening on Facebook.

Park was 29 years old. He had been in the hospital recently battling various health issues, according to current Dillon High coach Kelvin Roller and former teammate Cory Helms.

Park’s sister Breana posted to Facebook about his passing: “To KNOW DJ/Joseph Park was to LOVE him. I could write a novel but I’ll just leave it at that for now. I’ll miss you forever but at least you can rest easy now.”

Park graduated from Dillon High in December 2012 and enrolled at South Carolina in January 2013, playing for the Gamecocks through 2017 under coaches Steve Spurrier and Will Muschamp.

Helms and current USC tight ends coach Shawn Elliott were among those who posted condolences on social media Sunday evening. Elliott helped recruit Park out of high school and was his position coach at USC.

“RIP brother Joseph Park .. this one hurts. Prayers to your family,” Helms said.

“Saddened to hear about the passing of former Gamecock OL DJ Park. DJ was an awesome individual with a huge heart. You will be missed my friend,” Elliott posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The former Dillon standout was a Shrine Bowl Selection and 16th-best offensive tackle in the country, according to 247Sports. He played in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl and was a member of the MaxPreps All-American team for small schools as a senior.

At USC, Park played in 44 games with five starts during his career. He played both guard and tackle.

Said former USC QB Seth Strickland via X: “Prayers up for his family. Big guy with an even bigger smile. RIP DJ.”