Tributes to Terry Glenn have poured in from former teammates, coaches and others around the country since the former Ohio State wide receiver was killed in a car accident early Monday morning.
John Cooper, Glenn’s coach for each of his three seasons at Ohio State (1993-95), told Tim May of The Columbus Dispatch that he “almost (went) in shock” when he heard the news of Glenn's death while taking a walk this morning. In a separate meeting with local reporters at Ohio State’s football facility on Monday, Cooper described Glenn as “probably the most electrifying player” he coached in his 13 seasons with the Buckeyes.
“He’s one of those guys that played better than you could coach,” Cooper said of Glenn, who won the Biletnikoff Award and was a consensus All-American in 1995, his final season at Ohio State. “You don’t coach that, you recruit that. And he was a very, very talented athlete.”
Bill Belichick, who coached Glenn during his time with the New England Patriots, described Glenn as a “very smart individual.”
“I think he was deep down inside a good person with good intentions and a good heart,” Belichick told Patriots reporters on Monday. “Obviously, it's a very unfortunate passing. I mean, it’s just sad. It's a sad day. It's sad news.”
Former NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who played with Glenn during his time with both the Patriots and Dallas Cowboys, said he was “incredibly sad” to hear the news of Glenn’s passing.
“Loved this man,” Bledsoe wrote of Glenn in an Instagram post. “My son asked me a decade ago who my favorite receiver ever was because he wanted that jersey for Christmas. He got a Terry Glenn jersey from Santa. TG overcame horrible adversity to become a really good man.”
Former Ohio State linebacker Bobby Carpenter, who also played with Glenn with the Cowboys, said Glenn was one of his “favorite Buckeyes of all time.”
“A small guy that played big,” Carpenter said of Glenn, who weighed in at 5-foot-11 and 196 pounds during his NFL career, in a Twitter post. “He was the first guy that came up to me when I got drafted to Dallas, ‘Anything you need Buckeye, I'll take care of you’.”
Former NFL wide receiver Donte Stallworth, who ultimately played his college football at Tennessee, said on Twitter that watching Glenn growing up made him consider attending Ohio State himself.
Terry Glenn was the only reason I ever considered Ohio State out of high school, I loved watching him play. Last spoke to him 2016 Super Bowl, he looked good and seemed happy. I feel for his family and his kids.
— Dont Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) November 20, 2017
Current Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who said he had just heard the news of Glenn’s passing when he was asked about Glenn during his Monday press conference, shared his sentiment for Glenn and his surviving family on Twitter.
My prayers to the family of Terry Glenn. A Buckeye great and a friend. pic.twitter.com/qrqJGLCCZa
— Urban Meyer (@OSUCoachMeyer) November 20, 2017
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh began his press conference on Monday by offering his “prayers and thoughts and sympathies” for Glenn’s family.
“Wished to let his family know and all in the Ohio State community and friends of teammates of Terry and his family that they’re in our thoughts,” Harbaugh said Monday, five days before Michigan’s annual rivalry game against Ohio State.
Michael Thomas, who played wide receiver for Ohio State from 2012-15, paid his respects to Glenn on Twitter, recalling the former Buckeye being an inspiration for his own pursuit of greatness.
“I used to see your face everyday in the halls in college,” Thomas said. “I wanted to be you RIP!”
Glenn’s picture, as referenced by Thomas, still hangs on the walls surrounding Ohio State’s indoor practice field at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center today:
22 years after his final season at Ohio State, Terry Glenns photo still hangs on the walls of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. pic.twitter.com/zWJvX0zB9E
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 20, 2017
Former NFL safety Lawyer Milloy, who played alongside Glenn with the Patriots, said in a Twitter post of his own that Glenn was the “hands down most talented natural athlete I’ve seen in person.”
“Terry kept to himself but was a good Dude with a big smile that lit up the room when it came out.”– Former NFL safety Lawyer Milloy on Terry Glenn
Former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak described Glenn as the “most gifted receiver I’ve ever played with.”
Damien Woody, a former NFL offensive lineman and current ESPN analyst who also played with Glenn during his time with the Patriots, said Glenn was a guy “who was funny, who was easy to get along with.”
“He was a joy to have in the locker room,” Woody said in an interview on ESPN. “He went through a lot, just to get to the point of getting into the National Football League. Overcame tremendous adversity. And he decided to take advantage of the opportunity. This guy was just so tremendously skilled, but I always just remember Terry Glenn for the type of person that he was, the kind of person that he was. When I came into the locker room as a rookie, he was always giving me pointers, not just on the field but more importantly off the field of the game of football, the business of football and just being a guy that wanted to welcome me into the fraternity.”
Patriots owner Robert Kraft remembered Glenn as “one of the most gifted receivers we have ever had,” while Cowboys owner Jerry Jones remembered Glenn as a “gentle and kind hearted young man.”
Glenn, who caught 64 passes for 1,411 yards and 17 touchdowns in 1995 and still holds Ohio State’s single-game record for receiving yards (253 yards against Pittsburgh in 1995), went on to play 12 seasons in the NFL with Patriots, Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys.
Glenn was 43 at the time of his death.
