 Alm at Notre Dame | |||||
| No. 76 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | (1968-03-31)March 31, 1968 New York City, New York, U.S. | ||||
| Died: | December 14, 1993(1993-12-14) (aged 25) Houston, Texas, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 273 lb (124 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Carl Sandburg (Orland Park, Illinois) | ||||
| College: | Notre Dame | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1990: 2nd round, 41st pick | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Jeffrey Lawrence Alm (March 31, 1968 – December 14, 1993) was anAmerican footballdefensive tackle for theHouston Oilers of theNational Football League (NFL). He played four seasons with the Oilers until his suicide in 1993.
Alm playedcollege football for theNotre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected by Houston in the second round of the1990 NFL draft. A backup for most of his career, Alm's death during the 1993 season received national attention when he shot himself following aDUI car crash that killed his friend. His death was noted as one of several incidents to afflict the Oilers that year.
Born in New York City, Alm grew up inOrland Park, Illinois, a southwest suburb ofChicago. He had three siblings and was raised by his mother and stepfather after his biological parents divorced. Alm played for theCarl Sandburg High School football team, earning all-state honors. During his sophomore year, he met Sean P. Lynch, a transfer student, while playing on the football field together. Alm and Lynch eventually became best friends despite their differences in both personality and stature and were inseparable. As Alm's mother, Betty, described: "I always described them asMutt and Jeff. Sean was so little. They looked so funny together."[1]
Alm eventually earned a football scholarship toNotre Dame. Alm was described by his teammates and friends as introspective and intellectual, completing a degree inmarketing. He was praised for his work ethic by teammates and was named a second-teamAll-American during his senior year.[1]
Alm was selected by theHouston Oilers with their second-round pick in the1990 NFL draft.[2][3] Throughout his career, Alm felt lonely in Houston and kept in touch with a handful of close friends from home and college, including Lynch. His final year was marred by a contract holdout and injury.[1]
According to a witness, while Lynch was visiting Alm, the pair had dinner at a Houston-area steakhouse on December 13, 1993. At 2:45 a.m. on the following day, Alm, who was speeding, lost control of his 1993Cadillac Eldorado heading south onInterstate 610 southbound at the 59 North exit ramp and Lynch, who was not wearing his seatbelt, was ejected from the car. After the crash, Alm ran across the ramp and looked down an embankment towards theSouthwest Freeway, discovering that Lynch had been thrown to his death 30 feet below. A distraught Alm took out a pistol-grip shotgun, fired three shots into the air, and then shot himself in the head.[4]
Before his suicide, Alm had made a frantic 911 call to summon help. Alm shouted "Sean are you all right?" at the beginning of the call. In the ensuing moments, he tried to tell the operator the location of the wreck."Yes, I had an accident on, uh," Alm said. "I had an accident on 59, uh, on 59 north. We're at . . . 59 north. Loop, uh, 610. I have a buddy dying!"[5]
Toxicology reports stated Alm had ablood alcohol level of .14, over the .10 legal limit. Lynch's blood-alcohol level was .30. Alm was also taking the prescription barbiturateFiorinal, commonly prescribed for tension headaches. According to the report by Joseph A. Jachimczyk, Chief Medical Examiner for Harris County, the barbiturate level was within therapeutic range.[6]