Coach recalls ‘great person’

Brice Hunter, a 30-year old former Georgia receiver, was shot and killed early Sunday morning outside his Chicago apartment.

Hunter was shot in the chest, stomach and forearm following a dispute with his neighbor, Thomas Williams, about loud music coming from Hunter’s apartment, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Hunter was then transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he died less than an hour later.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported Williams, 38, was charged with failing to register a weapon after the pre-dawn shooting.

“It’s just a tremendous tragedy,” said former Georgia head coach Ray Goff, who was the Bulldogs’ head coach while Hunter was at Georgia.

Hunter played for the Bulldogs from 1992-95 and set records for receptions in a season with 76 in 1993.

He ended his college career with 182 catches, which is second all-time for Georgia receivers behind Terrance Edwards.

“First of all he was a great person. He had a great smile and was just a really outstanding guy,” Goff said when the Red & Black reached him Monday. “He wasn’t very heavily recruited but ended up being one of the best receivers in Georgia history.”

Before coming to play for the Bulldogs, Hunter was a part of back-to-back state championships at Valdosta High School in 1989-90.

“He was probably a better practice player than a game player,” said Bob Bolton, Hunter’s position coach at Valdosta High School. “And he was one of the best game players that I’ve seen.”

After graduating from Georgia, Hunter had brief stints in the NFL. He played two years for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and one season for the Miami Dolphins.

His mother-in-law told the Chicago Tribune he had been working as a trainer in a downtown Chicago health club.

Hunter leaves behind a wife, former Lady Bulldog basketball player Brandi Decker.

“He did all we asked him to do and then some,” Goff said. “He went above and beyond the call of duty.”

– Contributing: The Associated Press