Originally appeared on E! Online
The NFL community has lost one of its own.
Matt Ulrich, a former offensive guard for the Indianapolis Colts during its Super Bowl winning season in 2007, has died, the team's owner Jim Irsay confirmed on social media. He was 41.
"I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of Matt Ulrich," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Nov. 8. "Matt was with us only two seasons, but left his mark on many. Great guy, I hear he was a great dad—and he was a Super Bowl champ. My prayers to his family."
Ulrich is survived by wife Alison Ulrich and their four sons.
The late athlete played football at Northwestern University before he signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Led by quarterback Peyton Manning, the team beat the Chicago Bears to win the 2007 Super Bowl. After playing for the Colts for two seasons, he retired from the NFL that year.
Celebrity Deaths: 2023's Fallen Stars
NFL
Ulrich, a native of Streamwood, Ill., attended and played football at Northwestern University before he signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Led by quarterback Peyton Manning, the team beat the Chicago Bears to win the 2007 Super Bowl.
"Seeing the confetti come down Colts colors and being able to hold the Lombardi Trophy, everyone being on the field, I had to remind myself to take one moment for myself," Ulrich told MontanaSports.com in 2019, "It was good advice I got from someone that, if you do win it, take that last moment to look back at the tunnel and just look at the scoreboard, look at the field, and just know you're at the pinnacle of sports. And that's quite an awesome feeling."
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
After leaving the NFL, Ulrich settled with his family in Boseman, Mont. and co-founded DexaFit, a national network of centers offering body fat testing and metabolic analysis, with former Northwestern teammate Adam Kadela in 2011.
Ulrich also worked as managing director and partner with Profitable Ideas Exchange, a community of "unique individuals with many lived experiences," including former NFL players, movie producers and Peace Corp volunteers, who aim to "drive meaningful, intimate conversations among leaders in business, non-profits, and non-government organizations looking to solve their most pressing challenges," the group's website states.
Prior to his passing, Ulrich also served as a player advisor for the Harvard Football Players Health Study, a research program that "examines the multifactorial causes that impact the health and wellbeing of former NFL players," according to its website.
His cause of death has not been revealed.
Ulrich was also mourned publicly by one of his college teammates at Northwestern. "My heart is broken," Trai Essex tweeted. "My lineman brother. My NU brother. One of the best hearts you could ever hope to be around. Helped me to become the player I became. RIP Chesty."
