Pitt's Mason Alexander’s Death Bigger Loss Than Any Game

PITTSBURGH — The death of anyone in a football program causes grief and despair, but even more so for the Pitt Panthers last weekend, as they lost one of their young talents.

Mason Alexander, who enrolled mid-year as a freshman, died on March 1 during a fatal car crash near his hometown of Indianapolis.

He returned home to Indianapolis, like so many of the Pitt players did, for their week off during Spring Break.

A time that Alexander should’ve spent with friends and family before returning to school, turned into one that shocked a community, a team and the football community as a whole.

Alexander played for Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Ind., about 25-30 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

His father, Johnny Alexander, got him into football at an early age and believed in his talents.

Alexander lost his father to a heart attack at just eight-years-old and lost his love for the sport, suffering from depression after such a tragedy.

He also underwent hardship, as his mother did her best providing for her children, with the family not having a permanent home until they moved to Fishers.

Alexander would eventually get back into football starting in seventh grade, thanks to his mother, Kelly Harris, and oldest brother, Jordan Alexander, who encouraged him to join the team.

He starred as a running back, then transitioned to defense, where he excelled as a cornerback and would garner attention.

Pitt was the first school that came in for Alexander, offering him before anyone else as a sophomore.

Soon after, Alexander started receiving more attention from top schools across the country, but the Pitt coaching staff remained consistent with him more so than anyone else.

Panthers secondary/cornerbacks coach Archie Collins visited Alexander at Hamilton Southeastern and showed Alexander that he wanted him more than anyone else.

That relationship continued once Alexander enrolled mid-year in January after graduating early from high school in December.

“Coach Archie, he still calls just to check up on me,” Alexander said. “You won’t get that fake love just coming here, just, 'Oh we want to get you off the market, so nobody else can get you, so we can get you,' no.

“They’ll bring you here, they’ll treat you like family, like you they sons and that’s really, I don’t know, that stood out to me.”

Collins spoke highly of Alexander on National Signing Day on Dec. 4, with the way he played the game and how he acted off of it, that made him a player Collins was excited to coach.

“He is a guy that’s very contagious, high energy, alright," Collins said. "A guy that always stays positive. He’s a guy that I can’t wait to kind of coach because, based on his attitude always being high energy, happy, the whole nine yards."

College football is ever-changing in this modern landscape, but the relationship between a position coach and his player is one that transcends time.

Alexander came to Pitt for that guidance from Collins, who has a great track record of placing players in the NFL

He also attended the NFL Combine last weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts and met with Heisman finalist, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.

Alexander saw both Collins and safeties coach Cory Sanders as the two who would help him perform at the NFL Combine one day in his hometown and achieve his dreams of playing professionally.

“Coach Archie and coach Sanders are basically a copy and paste of each other," Alexander said. "Both two really good coaches who put a lot of good people in the league and that’s where I want to be when I get to that point and age. That’s where my end goal is going to be. I want to be in the NFL and I want to be able to represent coach Sanders and coach Archie as the best corner who could do it.”

The tragedy of death is inevitable. It’s one that everyone will face one day and there isn’t any way of getting around it. But that doesn’t make it any easier on loved ones, family and friends

Alexander’s passing exacerbates this pain. It represents loss in many different facets of existence and that those who had close relationships with him will feel the rest of their lives.

Collins and Sanders lose the time they would’ve had coaching Alexander as a man on the field and off of it, molding him into a player who takes on the challenges of the NFL.

His teammates and other coaches miss out on Alexander’s great demeanor and fierce competitiveness over the next few seasons, which would’ve had a massive impact on the program.

Alexander also doesn’t have the opportunity of becoming the great Pitt man he saw himself destined as.

He met with Pitt great and Pro Football Hall of Famer cornerback Darrelle Revis at the Backyard Brawl this past season, who gave him pointers on playing the position.

That instruction is invaluable and shows the connection between generations of Pitt greats of the past and those of the future.

But now, that is gone for Alexander. He’ll never have the privilege of wearing the royal blue, the mustard gold nor the Pitt script.

No hot summers on the South Side during fall camp, no walk-outs at Acrisure Stadium before every home game, no memorable in-game moments like making a crucial interception, an important pass breakup or a big time tackle.

Alexander also won’t wear the No. 15 on his back like he did in high school, honoring his father who died on June 15, 2015.

Most disheartening of all, Alexander’s mother, brother and two sisters will never see him reach his true life goals.

Pitt football will endure difficult hardships in the future. They’ll lose games they shouldn’t, coaches and players will make mistakes and they’ll struggle at various points.

But teams and players can come back from those mistakes, slip-ups and failures. There’s always another day to turn things around.

The loss of a player, especially Alexander, is one that trumps any loss on the field for the Panthers.

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