Former USF football player Nick Schuyler was found clinging to an overturned boat 35 miles off the coast of Tampa Bay today, as three other people (including two NFL players) remain missing.
Coast Guard Capt. Timothy M. Close said rescuers found Nick Schuyler clinging to the hull of an overturned boat about 35 miles off the coast of Florida today.
The search for the three other boaters, including NFL players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper, will continue, he said.
The Coast Guard, which was once searching an area of 16,000 square miles, has narrowed the search field significantly. The search has been ongoing since early Sunday, when the four boaters did not return from a Saturday fishing trip.
Read the full USA Today story.
By late afternoon, his Facebook page was covered with several dozen greetings from relieved friends and family members who sweated out a tough night awaiting news of Schuyler's fate. One wrote, "Incredible and inspiring story you have to tell. Thoughts and prayers are everywhere for you!"
(This now-ironic photo was once Schuyler's Facebook profile photo.)
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 3, 2009.