Tweet
TAMPA, Fla. (March 2) - A missing man found clinging to an overturned boat was rescued Monday off Florida's Gulf Coast, but the search continued for two NFL players and a third man aboard who didn't return from a weekend fishing trip.
Mystery Off Gulf Coast
Previous
Next
A man identified by the U.S. Coast Guard as Nick Schuyler sits atop an overturned boat before he was rescued from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for two National Football League players and another man. REUTERS/U.S. Coast Guard/Handout (UNITED STATES). FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.
Scroll up
Scroll down
(Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker)
Mystery Off Gulf Coast
U.S. Coast Guard Captain Timothy M. Close (C) meets with reporters outside the U.S. Coast Guard Station in St. Petersburg, Florida, to discuss the search for three missing boaters in the Gulf of Mexico March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Nick Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for National Football League players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper, and former Florida college football player William Bleakley. REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES)
Reuters
U.S. Coast Guard Captain Timothy M. Close meets with reporters outside the U.S. Coast Guard Station in St. Petersburg, Florida, to discuss the search for three missing boaters in the Gulf of Mexico March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Nick Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for National Football League players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper, and former Florida college football player William Bleakley. REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES)
Reuters
Friends and family members of missing boaters NFL players Corey Smith, Marquis Cooper and former Florida college football player William Bleakley wait at the dockside of the U.S. Coast Guard Station in St. Petersburg, Florida March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Nick Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for Smith, Cooper and Bleakley. REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES)
Reuters
Ray Sanchez, whose cousin NFL football player Marquis Cooper is one of three missing boaters, talks with reporters outside the U.S. Coast Guard Station in St. Petersburg, Florida March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Nick Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for two National Football League players and another man. REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES)
Reuters
Ray Sanchez, whose cousin NFL football player Marquis Cooper is one of three missing boaters, talks on a cell phone at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in St. Petersburg, Florida March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Nick Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for two National Football League players and another man. REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES)
Reuters
A man identified by the U.S. Coast Guard as Nick Schuyler (L) sits atop an overturned boat as Coast Guard crewmembers speed towards him in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for two National Football League players and another man. REUTERS/U.S. Coast Guard/Handout (UNITED STATES). FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.
Reuters
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew member (R) reaches out to pull a man, identified by the Coast Guard as Nick Schuyler, from a transport basket into the helicopter after the man was rescued from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for two National Football League players and another man. REUTERS/U.S. Coast Guard/Handout (UNITED STATES). FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.
Reuters
U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Timothy Close wipes his forehead as he prepares for a news conference at the U.S. Coast Guard station in St. Petersburg, Fla., Monday afternoon March 2, 2009. NFL players Marquis Cooper, Corey Smith, and former University of South Florida football player Will Bleakley, have not been seen since they left to go fishing Saturday morning. A fourth man, Nick Schulyer, also formerly of the University of South Florida, was rescued earlier clinging to an overturned boat. The Coast Guard is searching a 3,000 square-mile area in the Gulf of Mexico for the missing boaters. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
AP
Donald Nicholson, a friend of NFL football player Marquis Cooper, talks on a cell phone at the U.S. Coast Guard station in St. Petersburg, Fla., Monday afternoon March 2, 2009. Cooper, Corey Smith, and Will Bleakley, have not been seen since they left to go fishing Saturday morning. A fourth man, Nick Schulyer, was rescued Monday clinging to their overturned boat. The U.S. Coast Guard is searching a 3,000 square-mile area in the Gulf of Mexico for the missing boaters. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
AP
A man identified by the U.S. Coast Guard as Nick Schuyler sits atop an overturned boat before he was rescued from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for two National Football League players and another man. REUTERS/U.S. Coast Guard/Handout (UNITED STATES). FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.
Reuters
Survivor Nick Schuyler, a former University of South Florida player, told rescuers that the 21-foot boat was anchored when it flipped Saturday evening in rough seas and that the others got separated from the boat, Capt. Timothy M. Close said.
Since then, Schuyler, who was wearing a life vest, had been hanging onto the boat found by a Coast Guard cutter 35 miles off Clearwater.
The boat belongs to Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, who along with free-agent defensive lineman Corey Smith and former South Florida player William Bleakley, remained missing.
The search area is now "substantially smaller," based on where they found the boat and Schuyler, Close said. Searchers had previously covered 16,000 square miles of ocean.
Television footage showed Schuyler conscious but weak as he was being taken off a helicopter at Tampa General Hospital and placed on a stretcher. His father said he was in serious but stable condition.
Schuyler's mother, Marsha Schuyler, said her son told her that he survived by thinking about how he didn't want her to go to his funeral.
The family's joy at him being found alive was tempered by the search for his friends.
"We still have three men missing, and we're not going to talk too much until we find these guys," said his father, Stuart Schuyler. "We're all praying for them. These guys are all very close friends."
Boat Found; Unsure if NFL Players Aboard
The Coast Guard says it has found a person clinging to an overturned boat off Florida’s Gulf Coast but did not confirm whether it is the one missing with two NFL players aboard. (March 2)
Close said the Coast Guard would search for the men for "quite awhile."
The four left Clearwater Pass early Saturday in calm weather, but heavy winds picked up through the day and the seas got heavy, with waves of 7 feet and higher, peaking at 15 feet on Sunday. A relative alerted the Coast Guard early Sunday after the men did not return as expected.
Stuart Schuyler said his son "looks OK."
"He's got some cuts and bruises. He's dehydrated," he said.
The men were aboard an Everglades-manufactured boat, which is built with compressed foam encased in Fiberglas, making it difficult to sink.
The weather had improved from over the weekend, with waves subsiding to 6 to 8 feet, still enough for a small craft advisory, National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Barron said. Cooper and Smith, who were teammates with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004, have been on fishing trips before, according to Ron Del Duca, Smith's agent.
The 29-year-old Smith of Richmond, Va., is 6-foot-2, 250 pounds and had 30 tackles, including three sacks, and an interception in 12 games last season for the Detroit Lions. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers and was a standout at North Carolina State.
Cooper, 26, who is 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, played college ball at Washington, and has spent five seasons with five different teams, appearing in 26 games with the Buccaneers in 2004 and 2005. He's played sparingly since. He grew up in Gilbert, Ariz., and his father Bruce is a prominent sportscaster for KPNX-TV in Phoenix.
Mystery Off Gulf Coast
Previous
Next
A man identified by the U.S. Coast Guard as Nick Schuyler sits atop an overturned boat before he was rescued from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for two National Football League players and another man. REUTERS/U.S. Coast Guard/Handout (UNITED STATES). FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.
Scroll up
Scroll down
(Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker)
Mystery Off Gulf Coast
U.S. Coast Guard Captain Timothy M. Close (C) meets with reporters outside the U.S. Coast Guard Station in St. Petersburg, Florida, to discuss the search for three missing boaters in the Gulf of Mexico March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Nick Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for National Football League players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper, and former Florida college football player William Bleakley. REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES)
Reuters
U.S. Coast Guard Captain Timothy M. Close meets with reporters outside the U.S. Coast Guard Station in St. Petersburg, Florida, to discuss the search for three missing boaters in the Gulf of Mexico March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Nick Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for National Football League players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper, and former Florida college football player William Bleakley. REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES)
Reuters
Friends and family members of missing boaters NFL players Corey Smith, Marquis Cooper and former Florida college football player William Bleakley wait at the dockside of the U.S. Coast Guard Station in St. Petersburg, Florida March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Nick Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for Smith, Cooper and Bleakley. REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES)
Reuters
Ray Sanchez, whose cousin NFL football player Marquis Cooper is one of three missing boaters, talks with reporters outside the U.S. Coast Guard Station in St. Petersburg, Florida March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Nick Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for two National Football League players and another man. REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES)
Reuters
Ray Sanchez, whose cousin NFL football player Marquis Cooper is one of three missing boaters, talks on a cell phone at the U.S. Coast Guard Station in St. Petersburg, Florida March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Nick Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for two National Football League players and another man. REUTERS/Steve Nesius (UNITED STATES)
Reuters
A man identified by the U.S. Coast Guard as Nick Schuyler (L) sits atop an overturned boat as Coast Guard crewmembers speed towards him in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for two National Football League players and another man. REUTERS/U.S. Coast Guard/Handout (UNITED STATES). FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.
Reuters
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew member (R) reaches out to pull a man, identified by the Coast Guard as Nick Schuyler, from a transport basket into the helicopter after the man was rescued from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for two National Football League players and another man. REUTERS/U.S. Coast Guard/Handout (UNITED STATES). FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.
Reuters
U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Timothy Close wipes his forehead as he prepares for a news conference at the U.S. Coast Guard station in St. Petersburg, Fla., Monday afternoon March 2, 2009. NFL players Marquis Cooper, Corey Smith, and former University of South Florida football player Will Bleakley, have not been seen since they left to go fishing Saturday morning. A fourth man, Nick Schulyer, also formerly of the University of South Florida, was rescued earlier clinging to an overturned boat. The Coast Guard is searching a 3,000 square-mile area in the Gulf of Mexico for the missing boaters. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
AP
Donald Nicholson, a friend of NFL football player Marquis Cooper, talks on a cell phone at the U.S. Coast Guard station in St. Petersburg, Fla., Monday afternoon March 2, 2009. Cooper, Corey Smith, and Will Bleakley, have not been seen since they left to go fishing Saturday morning. A fourth man, Nick Schulyer, was rescued Monday clinging to their overturned boat. The U.S. Coast Guard is searching a 3,000 square-mile area in the Gulf of Mexico for the missing boaters. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
AP
A man identified by the U.S. Coast Guard as Nick Schuyler sits atop an overturned boat before he was rescued from the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida March 2, 2009. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued Schuyler on Monday, one of four boaters missing in the Gulf of Mexico since Saturday, and continued the search for two National Football League players and another man. REUTERS/U.S. Coast Guard/Handout (UNITED STATES). FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.
Reuters
Survivor Nick Schuyler, a former University of South Florida player, told rescuers that the 21-foot boat was anchored when it flipped Saturday evening in rough seas and that the others got separated from the boat, Capt. Timothy M. Close said.
Since then, Schuyler, who was wearing a life vest, had been hanging onto the boat found by a Coast Guard cutter 35 miles off Clearwater.
The boat belongs to Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, who along with free-agent defensive lineman Corey Smith and former South Florida player William Bleakley, remained missing.
The search area is now "substantially smaller," based on where they found the boat and Schuyler, Close said. Searchers had previously covered 16,000 square miles of ocean.
Television footage showed Schuyler conscious but weak as he was being taken off a helicopter at Tampa General Hospital and placed on a stretcher. His father said he was in serious but stable condition.
Schuyler's mother, Marsha Schuyler, said her son told her that he survived by thinking about how he didn't want her to go to his funeral.
The family's joy at him being found alive was tempered by the search for his friends.
"We still have three men missing, and we're not going to talk too much until we find these guys," said his father, Stuart Schuyler. "We're all praying for them. These guys are all very close friends."
Boat Found; Unsure if NFL Players Aboard
The Coast Guard says it has found a person clinging to an overturned boat off Florida’s Gulf Coast but did not confirm whether it is the one missing with two NFL players aboard. (March 2)
Close said the Coast Guard would search for the men for "quite awhile."
The four left Clearwater Pass early Saturday in calm weather, but heavy winds picked up through the day and the seas got heavy, with waves of 7 feet and higher, peaking at 15 feet on Sunday. A relative alerted the Coast Guard early Sunday after the men did not return as expected.
Stuart Schuyler said his son "looks OK."
"He's got some cuts and bruises. He's dehydrated," he said.
The men were aboard an Everglades-manufactured boat, which is built with compressed foam encased in Fiberglas, making it difficult to sink.
The weather had improved from over the weekend, with waves subsiding to 6 to 8 feet, still enough for a small craft advisory, National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Barron said. Cooper and Smith, who were teammates with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004, have been on fishing trips before, according to Ron Del Duca, Smith's agent.
The 29-year-old Smith of Richmond, Va., is 6-foot-2, 250 pounds and had 30 tackles, including three sacks, and an interception in 12 games last season for the Detroit Lions. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers and was a standout at North Carolina State.
Cooper, 26, who is 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, played college ball at Washington, and has spent five seasons with five different teams, appearing in 26 games with the Buccaneers in 2004 and 2005. He's played sparingly since. He grew up in Gilbert, Ariz., and his father Bruce is a prominent sportscaster for KPNX-TV in Phoenix.