Syracuse, N.Y. -- Former Syracuse football running back Walter Reyes has died at the age of 36, according to his family.

Reyes is No. 2 on Syracuse football's all-time rushing list with 3,424 yards. He played at SU from 2001-04, when he was a first-team All-Big East selection his senior season.

Reyes passed away Sunday night after experiencing stomach pain in recent days. A coroners' report will determine the cause of death.

Reyes was living in Campbell, Ohio, outside Youngstown. He was married and helped raise his wife's four children while working as a personal trainer for young football players and at a flower shop.

"He was an excellent husband," his wife, Yolanda, said in a brief phone conversation Monday afternoon, "excellent father. He raised everyone. That's their dad.

"He would get mad if you called them his step-kids."

Reyes was at his mother's house a short drive from home when he experienced stomach pain and was transported to the hospital. He died shortly thereafter.

"I don't know how to tell (the kids) your coach is gone," Yolanda said. "He won't be able to train them anymore."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family cover funeral costs.

Contact Nate Mink anytime: 315-430-8253 |

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