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CNN Live Event/Special

Lineman Coach Speaks at Stringer Memorial

Aired August 03, 2001 - 16:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Right now we want to take you to a memorial service that's going on in Minnesota for Korey Stringer. He is the football player who passed away this week; died of heat stroke. Only 27 years old right -- the Minnesota Viking.

Right now this is Mike Tice, we understand; and he is a lineman coach. Korey Stringer was an offensive lineman.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

MIKE TICE, VIKINGS LINEMAN COACH: .. I mean, he could remember lines out of movies, and I've seen the movie three times and don't even remember the beginning.

Five years ago I was very blessed to be able to get a man of 22 years old, tremendously gifted athlete, tremendously wonderful young man...

KELLEY: One of Korey Stringer's coaches and the head coach Dennis Green spoke just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DENNIS GREEN, VIKINGS HEAD COACH: We love Korey more and more every day. He means so much to us -- to his teammates, to his coaches. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) mean so much to the fans.

But we know it's much, much more than that. We're talking about a young man of 27 years old. We're talking about a young man with a wife; a young man with a son; a young man with a mother and father, brothers who love him even more than we could imagine.

When I first met Korey, he was a gift that we wanted to have. I didn't think there was any way that it would happen. But when it did happen, I thought I understood why: because we tried to create kind of an atmosphere where Korey would love being a Minnesota Viking football player, would love being a young man out in the community, would love working with young people, young children, giving them the kind of encouragement and love that he shared with everyone. And so we knew it was a perfect fit.

Korey, we have gone back to practice. We have taken baby steps into going on without you because we know that we must.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KELLEY: At the memorial service there, head coach Dennis Green saying that they have gone back to practice. Korey Stringer, 27-year- old Minnesota Viking died of heat stroke earlier this week. He leaves behind a wife and 3-year-old son.

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