A former Cowboys tight end has died in a rock climbing accident in California. Gavin Escobar, 31, was one of two individuals identified by Riverside County sheriffs after an incident within the San Bernardino National Forest.
Escobar was a second-round draft pick in 2013 out of San Diego State. He played four seasons with the Cowboys, compiling 333 yards and eight touchdowns on 30 receptions over 62 games played.
Unable to make much of an impact on the same roster as Jason Witten, Escobar was released after the 2016 season. He went on to stints with the Chiefs, Ravens, Browns, and Dolphins, but didn’t amass any further stats. It was the end of Escobar’s NFL career, though he went on to play for the San Diego Fleet in the short-lived AAF in 2019.
Escobar, a New York native, had become a firefighter in Long Beach earlier this year and lived in Huntington Beach.
UPDATE: One of the two rock climbers found dead near Idyllwild yesterday was a former Dallas Cowboys player. Gavin Escobar, 31, became a member of the Long Beach Fire Department in February
Details: https://t.co/glGg1GIiPd pic.twitter.com/Z1lAGpSwEA
— KESQ News Channel 3 (@KESQ) September 30, 2022
According to a KESQ report, a report of “hikers down” came in just past noon on Wednesday. Crews attempted a rescue but determined that both victims had died at the scene. It’s not yet known if Escobar and his companion were ascending or descending when an accident occurred, or if they died under some other circumstances.
Gavin Escobar leaves behind a wife and two children.
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