On March 1, 2009, Corey Domanic Smith, a 29-year-old defensive end for the Detroit Lions, was reported missing off the coast of Clearwater, Florida. He had embarked on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico on February 28, 2009, aboard a 21-foot boat with three other men: Victor Marquis Cooper, a linebacker for the Oakland Raiders, and two former University of South Florida football players, William Bleakley and Nick Schuyler. The group had departed from Clearwater Pass at approximately 6:30 a.m. and were expected to return that evening. When they failed to come back, the U.S. Coast Guard initiated a search and rescue operation.
The search efforts led to the discovery of the capsized boat on March 2, 2009, around 1:35 p.m. Nick Schuyler was found alive, clinging to the overturned vessel. He was suffering from hypothermia and dehydration. Schuyler was the sole survivor of the tragic incident. He recounted the harrowing ordeal, stating that the men's troubles began when their anchor became stuck. In an attempt to dislodge it, Cooper throttled the boat forward, causing it to take on water and capsize. Thrown into the rough, cold waters, the four men held onto the overturned boat.
According to Schuyler's account, the men succumbed to hypothermia one by one. Cooper was the first to separate from the group, followed by Smith. Bleakley also disappeared into the water hours before Schuyler's rescue. An extensive search by the Coast Guard and private efforts organized by friends and family found no sign of Smith, Cooper, or Bleakley. They are all presumed to be lost at sea. The official search was called off at sundown on March 3, 2009.
Corey Smith, originally from Richmond, Virginia, was a promising athlete who had earned a football scholarship to North Carolina State University, where he graduated with a degree in textiles management. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002 and also played for the San Francisco 49ers before joining the Detroit Lions. In the wake of his disappearance, the Detroit Lions held a memorial service and retired his jersey number, 93, for the 2009 season. His family established the Corey D. Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund in his honor. An investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission concluded that the boating accident was caused by an improper attempt to free the anchor, which led to the vessel capsizing. Smith's body has never been recovered.
Last Seen: Mar 01, 2009
