UTEP TE Luke Laufenberg Passes Away

Miner nation was dealt sad news today, as we learned that UTEP tight end Luke Laufenberg passed away from a rare form of leukemia at the age of 21.  Luke was the son of former Cowboys quarterback Babe Laufenberg and was expected to start for the miners this fall.  The 6-foot-4, 235 pound redshirt junior was a former Texas A&M walk-on in 2016 before transferring to Mesa Community College in Arizona.

Laufenberg was originally diagnosed with leukemia on December 26, 2017 while at Mesa CC, and after undergoing treatment was declared cancer free in May of 2018.  Following the loss of his son Babe Laufenberg had this to say on his Twitter account, "Today we lost a son, a brother, a friend, and a warrior. Have never seen a person battle like Luke Laufenberg, but he lost his fight with cancer. He was truly inspirational. The hole in our hearts will never be filled. You are my hero. RIP my sweet Luke. See you on the other side."

Coach Dimel mentioned, "Luke touched my heart and soul forever. His spirit and fight are a reminder to me of what it means to play and coach the game of football. As long as I am coaching, I will relay all the lessons that Luke taught me to the individual lives I will affect. He is forever a Miner."

Our condolences go out to the Laufenberg family and UTEP for their loss.