SWAC mourns the loss of Texas Southern's Jamal Small

ASBURY PARK, New Jersey -- The Southwestern Athletic Conference mourns the loss of former Texas Southern student-football athlete Jamal Small.

Small (24) passed away on Sunday, December 20th in his hometown of Asbury Park, New Jersey.

"The Texas Southern Athletics Department would like to send our prayers and condolences to the family and friends of former student-athlete Jamar Small," said TSU Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Charles McClelland.

In 2014, Small led the Tigers in passing yards (904) and touchdowns (8). Their 5-0 start was the schools best since 2009.

"While attending Texas Southern University Jamal was admired and highly respected by school administrators, his fellow peers and his teammates. This is an extremely tragic loss for the entire TSU community, and the positive impacts he made at this institution and within our football program as a student-athlete will never be forgotten."

Small was celebrated as a success story for school officials and community organizers. Small channeled his competitive spirit into football, becoming one of the Shore's best all-around Asbury Park High School players before graduating in 2010. He earned a football scholarship and graduated from TSU with a bachelor's in business administration.

COURTESY SWAC MEDIA RELATIONS