Former Michigan football defensive standout dies at 33

Former Michigan football player Craig Roh, who set a program record with 51 straight starts, died on Monday, his wife announced on social media. He was 33.

Roh had an 18-month battle with Stage IV colon cancer, according to his wife, Chelsea. They have a two-year-old son.

Before embarking on a professional football career, Roh played at Michigan from 2009 to 2012, starting as a linebacker (for two years under head coach Rich Rodriguez) before moving to defensive end (under Brady Hoke). Roh started every game of his career — setting a program mark later tied by offensive lineman Mason Cole — and was an All-Big Ten second-team selection (by the league’s coaches) as a senior. He helped Michigan to an 11-2 record and Sugar Bowl victory as a junior.

The Scottsdale, Arizona, native — where he was the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a high schooler — was not selected in the NFL draft. He signed a practice squad deal with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and last a year there. He transitioned to the Experimental Football League before moving to the Canadian Football League in 2015, eventually playing for several teams, winning the Grey Cup with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2019. His last season was in 2021.

According to his wife, Roh was diagnosed with cancer in August of 2022, and battled through various treatments. “Craig did not want to go public with his diagnosis and battle because, in true Craig fashion, he did not want the attention to be on him. From chemo, to targeted therapy, to clinical trials at MD Anderson and in Honduras, Craig was resilient till the very end.”

Roh launched D-Line University, which he billed as “the world’s first membership designed specifically to help coaches build elite (defensive) lines, develop their skills and progress their careers,” last summer. Wrote Chelsea: “He laid out a timeline for his business so stay tuned.”

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