Former West Point football standout Keimon Ewing has died after a battle with adenocarcinoma cancer. He was 20 years old.
As a senior, Ewing was a key member of the 2023 Green Wave team that won the Class 5A state championship. A running back, he rushed for 652 yards and seven touchdowns on 96 carries that season. He was the team’s third-leading rusher and went for 100 or more yards three times.
“He’s just an incredible person. He’s my hero, he’s a lot of our heroes with just how he handled this situation,” said Brett Morgan, former West Point and current Starkville head coach. “He was just always thinking about other people – even on his deathbed. He was worried about his momma and wanting her to know that she had done everything she could for him, and worried about his daddy and his family and his friends more than himself.
“He’s just a special person. I have a lot of peace because I got to see his faith walk firsthand, and I have a lot of peace knowing he is in heaven and knowing he had a relationship with Jesus. His faith was really strong and he really lived that out through his last days. He just had a hope and a peace about him because of God and because of Jesus and knowing where he was going.”
Morgan said Ewing’s legacy will live on despite the tragic circumstances.
“He just is a very special person in how he handled the hardships of the past year, and of course he was a great player, just a great teammate just like he’s shown with his cancer fight,” Morgan said. “He was selfless and put the team before himself. In a lot of ways I hope that what I can do in life, I hope I can be half the man that Keimon was. The legacy that he left and showed us all how to handle and approach adversity in life when it comes.”
In a statement posted on Twitter, new West Point head coach Roger Burton said, “Keimon’s courage throughout his battle was a source of strength and inspiration for our program and everyone who knew him. His determination and spirit will never be forgotten.
“We will honor his legacy by embracing a ‘Refuse to Lose’ mindset and by working hard every day to reflect the character, perseverance and pride that he represented.”
Ewing was diagnosed last year. Adenocarcinoma is a type of gland cell cancer.
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