Former Rice golfer James Ragan succumbs to cancer at 20

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Former Rice golfer James Ragan died Monday night at his home in Corpus Christi after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 20.

"Today is a very sad day," Rice head golf coach Justin Emil said. "James Ragan made a positive impact on everyone around him. I'm honored to have coached such a fine young man who truly taught me way more than I could ever teach him."

Ragan was diagnosed in 2006 with Osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer that resulted in the removal of his left knee, part of his tibia and large part of his femur. The cancer forced Ragan to quit tennis and eventually take up golf, where he was a walk-on to the Rice golf team in 2011.

Ragan became an advocate for the treatment of pediatric cancer through the Triumph Over Kid Cancer Foundation, which he founded with his sister Mecklin, a former Rice golfer. The foundation has raised more than $750,000 since 2007.

In his final collegiate competition a year ago this week, Ragan matched his career-best round of 73 at the Rice Intercollegiate.

At the same tournament Tuesday, current Rice golfers wore orange ribbons in Ragan's memory.