The sport utility vehicle driven by teammate Rashon Edwards, 19, of Cincinnati, crashed near Anna in Shelby County. The vehicle drifted into the median and rolled several times into the northbound lanes, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Laboy, 18, was ejected from the vehicle.
After Laboy died at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Wittenberg arranged the gathering that was attended by about 50 people, including close to 30 football players.
“Today was a very visible sign for our football team that there are a lot of people on our campus that loved and cared for them,” said Gary Williams, director of athletics and recreation. “They didn’t see them in their uniforms. They actually saw their faces and their tears and their emotions.”
The other three football players injured in the crash remain hospitalized and are expected to make full recoveries.
Dorian Hunter, 20, a Springfield High School graduate, was also ejected. He was in serious condition Tuesday afternoon at Miami Valley.
Edwards, the only occupant wearing a seat belt, according to the patrol, was in stable condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Aikili Mosely, 24, of Los Angeles, was in stable condition at Lima Memorial Hospital.
When the news of the crash came to campus, some athletes, coaches and administrators went to hospital waiting rooms. Williams said many stayed as late as 3 a.m. Tuesday and returned by 10 a.m.
The crash remains under investigation, but driver fatigue is suspected as a factor, troopers said.
The teammates had spent the weekend at the Electric Forest Festival about an hour north of Grand Rapids, Mich.
“This is a tremendously difficult time for everyone in the Wittenberg football family,” head football coach Joe Fincham said in a statement. “Our coaches, alumni and team members are focused on providing as much support as possible to the young men who survived the accident, and we join Miles’ family in grieving this terrible loss.”
Williams spoke with Laboy’s parents about the spirit he showed in his one year on the team.
“We have a motto at Wittenberg about tigering up, and I don’t think we could find somebody who embodies it as much as Miles,” Williams said. “His mother and father said it so well just a little while ago. You can call people childish, but he’s actually childlike and that childlike spirit is something you just keep hearing over and over again, seeing him bounce into meetings and coming in and out of practices and weight room. Even when it’s a tense moment he always had a smile on his face.”
Laboy played in four games as a freshman and intercepted two passes.
“Miles was an outstanding young man and a valued teammate with a bright future ahead of him,” Fincham said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Miles’ family and friends.”
About the Author