A beloved New York high school soccer coach drowned Sunday while helping his son out of rough waters in Florida. According to reports.
Oneida Women’s National Team soccer coach, Dale McCormick, took action during his holiday weekend at the beach with his family best friends, his 11th grade son and 7th grade daughter. told syracuse.com.
The father and children began to suffer from a strong undertow and while daughter Courtney was able to reach shore and call for help, McCormick helped his son Jaden, said friend Diane Farina.
Jaden was also able to reach shore, but McCormick disappeared in the water and efforts to save him failed when he was pulled back to safety, Syracuse.com reported.
The sudden death of a 48-year-old rocked communities in the Syracuse area.
Farina, whose daughter played for the McCormick soccer team, told news outlets that she treated the player like her own child.
“He was a kid. He was a big kid. Everybody knows him here just because he had a big influence on the football family,” she said.
Bart Conklin, Athletic Director of the Oneida City School District, said McCormick’s heroic death shows what he was like.
“Whether it was his children or someone he knew, what Dale would have done was just to show what type of person he was, definitely he I miss you,” Conklin said. WSYR-TV.
His son wrote on his Facebook page that his father was his “best friend” and “hero.”
“The best dad I could have asked for. He was and always will be my motivation,” Jaden wrote, reported syracuse.com.
“A part of him lives on in me forever and always. I miss him more than ever. I love you buds.
