Romeo Okwara Mourns Death of Louis Nix III

Romeo Okwara and the University of Notre Dame football family are currently mourning the loss of one of their own.

Louis Nix III, who played on the defensive line for the Irish from 2010-13, passed away Saturday in his hometown of Jacksonville, Fla., at the age of 29.

Nix won Notre Dame’s Moose Krause Defensive Player of the Year award in 2012, and helped lead the Irish to the BCS National Championship Game in 2013.

He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played three total seasons in the NFL, including for the Texans, the N.Y. Giants in 2015 and both the Washington Football Team and the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016.

Okwara and Nix were teammates in South Bend, Ind., in 2012 and 2013, which were Okwara's freshman and sophomore seasons at Notre Dame.

Okwara played two more seasons with the Irish, before signing with the N.Y. Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

He paid tribute to his former teammate this past weekend on Twitter.

Okwara tweeted, "Devastating. Rest in peace, Big Lou. Always wanted to put a smile on everyone’s face. Glad I got to share some unforgettable moments with you. You will be greatly missed."

Irish head man Brian Kelly also took time out over the weekend to remember Nix, a man affectionately known as "Irish Chocolate" to the Notre Dame football community.

Kelly tweeted, "Louis Nix, 'Irish Chocolate,' we carry these memories until we see you again."

A cause of death for Nix has not yet been revealed.

Devastating. Rest In Peace, Big Lou. Always wanted to put a smile on everyone’s face. Glad I got to share some unforgettable moments with you. You will be greatly missed☘️ 🐢 pic.twitter.com/OI6ECURdSL
— Romeo Okwara (@RomeoND45) February 28, 2021

Louis Nix, “Irish Chocolate,” we carry these memories until we see you again 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ndTZ9DeaQP
— Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) February 28, 2021

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