Rob Konrad

Former Syracuse fullback Rob Konrad was found on shore and taken to a hospital early Thursday morning after he swam 9 miles following a fall from a fishing boat Wednesday.

(Dick Blume | dblume@syracuse.com)

Syracuse, N.Y. — Former Syracuse fullback Rob Konrad was found on shore and taken to a hospital early Thursday morning after he swam 9 miles following a fall from a fishing boat Wednesday near Palm Beach, Florida.

Konrad, a former Syracuse fullback and the last player to wear famed No. 44, was found ashore on Palm Beach at 4:40 a.m. Thursday with symptoms of hypothermia after swimming 9 miles in "frigid waters," according to Mark Barney, a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Konrad was alone and was not wearing a life jacket, Barney said. He had no update on Konrad's condition.

The former Miami Dolphins fullback was dropped off at a dock in Boca Raton around 10 Wednesday morning. With his boat on cruise control, he was headed north to Lake Worth to fish.

Barney did not know how long Konrad was in the water and did not know how he fell off the 36-foot boat.

Konrad's friends called the Coast Guard when he did not return from the trip. The Coast Guard sent a helicopter to search for Konrad but could not locate him.

"He was lucky he was able to swim 9 miles throughout the night in the dark in the frigid waters," Barney said.

"He was pretty exhausted."



The news was first reported by WPBF-TV. The story from the TV station adds a few more details including that Konrad fell while trying to catch a fish. Konrad made it ashore after nine hours and walked up to a mansion for help. Konrad was wearing only his underwear but was otherwise OK, according to the report.

Teri Barbera, a spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, could not provide additional information at this time.

Konrad was a second-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins in 1999 and spent all six of his professional seasons with the team. He appeared in 82 career games with the Dolphins, catching 111 passes for 854 yards and six touchdowns and rushing for another 114 yards and a score.

He has twice publicly endorsed coaching candidates for Syracuse football, backing Steve Addazio in 2008 and Matt Patricia in 2013. He is chairman of Alterna Financial in Florida.

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