Sgt. Tommy Lazzaro, a former Pine Creek quarterback who later played at Central Michigan before joining the Army, died Dec. 22 in a hunting incident at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

Lazzaro, 27, was a member of the prestigious 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne).

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed the news of Lazzaro’s death to WILX in Michigan. Walton County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office told the station it appears to be a tragic hunting accident, noting that all parties involved remained on scene and are cooperating with the investigation.

Lazzaro starred at Pine Creek, leading the Eagles to state championships in 2013 and 2014. He then played at Dodge City (Kan.) Community College before transferring to Central Michigan. With the Chippewas he played for a MAC title in 2019, scoring two touchdowns in the conference championship game in Detroit.

After graduating with an entrepreneurship degree, Lazzaro took a job with Collabera as an information technology recruiter in Denver. That lasted only two months before he answered a calling into the military, following the path of his father and paternal grandfather.

“There’s a time to be in the corporate world, and then there’s a time to go do things that I can make an impact on,” Lazzaro told The Gazette in 2020.

In college, Lazzaro earned the Kurt Dobronski Award, given to the senior who “demonstrates great effort, intensity and appreciation for the Chippewa football program.”

“That was everything. Still to this day, getting the text that I won that was probably the most special moment of my life,” Lazzaro told The Gazette during that 2020 interview. “Being selected by my teammates and peers … was the biggest honor of my life so far. That’s something I will literally never forget.”

Lazzaro played under Jim McElwain, the former Colorado State coach, at Central Michigan.

“When we took over the program, Tommy was truly our leader in so many ways,” McElwain said Thursday in a program press release. “CMU Football was blessed to have him and will always remember him for all he did for many of us. He will be missed by all of the Chippewas.”

Lazzaro is survived by his parents, Thomas A. Lazzaro III and Lisa A. Lazzaro, and his fiancée, Kaley Lynch.

“I can’t speak enough about his toughness, willingness to lead by example and just the ability to compete and win,” former Pine Creek coach Todd Miller previously told The Gazette about Lazzaro. “He was the ultimate competitor.”

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday at the Emerald Coast Funeral Home in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. The service will be followed by an interment at Beal Memorial Cemetery, where Lazzaro will be honored with full military accolades.

Sgt. Tommy Lazzaro, a former Pine Creek quarterback who later played at Central Michigan before joining the Army, died Sunday in a hunting incident at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

Lazzaro, 27, was a member of the prestigious 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne).

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed the news of Lazzaro’s death to WILX in Michigan. The Walton County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office told the station it appears to be a tragic hunting accident, noting that all parties involved remained on scene and are cooperating with the investigation.

Lazzaro starred at Pine Creek, leading the Eagles to state championships in 2013 and 2014. He then played at Dodge City (Kan.) Community College before transferring to Central Michigan. With the Chippewas he played for a MAC title in 2019, scoring two touchdowns in the conference championship game in Detroit.

After graduating with an entrepreneurship degree, Lazzaro took a job with Collabera as an information technology recruiter in Denver. That lasted only two months before he answered a calling into the military, following the path of his father and paternal grandfather.

“There’s a time to be in the corporate world, and then there’s a time to go do things that I can make an impact on,” Lazzaro told The Gazette in 2020.

In college, Lazzaro earned the Kurt Dobronski Award, given to the senior who “demonstrates great effort, intensity and appreciation for the Chippewa football program.”

“That was everything. Still to this day, getting the text that I won that was probably the most special moment of my life,” Lazzaro said during that 2020 interview.

“Being selected by my teammates and peers … was the biggest honor of my life so far. That’s something I will literally never forget.”

Lazzaro played under Jim McElwain, the former Colorado State University coach, at Central Michigan.

“When we took over the program, Tommy was truly our leader in so many ways,” McElwain said Thursday in a program news release.

“CMU football was blessed to have him and will always remember him for all he did for many of us. He will be missed by all of the Chippewas.”

Lazzaro is survived by his parents, Thomas A. Lazzaro III and Lisa A. Lazzaro, and his fiancee, Kaley Lynch.

“I can’t speak enough about his toughness, willingness to lead by example and just the ability to compete and win,” former Pine Creek coach Todd Miller previously told The Gazette about Lazzaro. “He was the ultimate competitor.”

A celebration of life will be held Saturday at the Emerald Coast Funeral Home in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. The service will be followed by an interment at Beal Memorial Cemetery, where Lazzaro will be honored with full military accolades.