Copiah-Lincoln CC mourns former QB Daniel Fitzwater

On the field, Daniel Fitzwater was a towering 6'5" force at quarterback, known for being a fierce competitor with a level head whose team loved him for the leader he was.

Off the field, he was "as good of a guy as he was a quarterback," said former Copiah-Lincoln Community College teammate Zach Smith.

Fitzwater, 20, was in Shreveport to watch his brother's football game on Friday and was staying with his sister, officials said. He fell asleep on her couch that night, and when she woke up the next morning, Fitzwater was dead. At this point the cause of death is unknown.

He had been hurt before the season and had recently had surgery and was scheduled for another surgery, Co-Lin officials said.

When the news of his death passed through the ranks of his former teammates during their game Saturday, it hit like a ton of bricks. Head football coach Glenn Davis said he didn't hear about it until the game was over, but that some of the players found out during the game.

"Someone had tweeted it out, and our managers and other people started telling them," he said. "I don't know how well they held up. It looks like we didn't."

Fitzwater had gone on from Co-Lin as a walk-on at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. When Co-Lin was recruiting him, he was also being recruited by some Division One schools, but he and his family selected the community college in Wesson for the atmosphere and the academics.

A two-year starter for the Wolfpack, Fitzwater was named First Team MACJC All-State. The graduate of Calvary Baptist (Shreveport) finished his career at Co-Lin with 5,764 yards, 41 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He ended his career having thrown at least one touchdown in 19 of 20 games.

In his sophomore season, he completed 221-of-356 for 3,080 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Fitzwater threw a season-high 400 yards in a 37-13 win over Itawamba in the 2014 season opener. He topped 350 yards passing in four games and was honored as MACJC Player of the Week after throwing for 352 yards in a MACJC Semifinal win over Northwest Mississippi.

“The Co-Lin family is deeply saddened to hear of Daniel’s death. He was an outstanding young man with a wonderful family. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends,” said Co-Lin President Ronnie Nettles.

Davis said that Fitzwater was a quiet guy who was a "great teammate," and that his teammates would give him a hard time for his deliberate speech. They also gave him a hard time because even though he was in the top two or three junior college quarterbacks in the nation in passing last season, he was terrible at the sports video games.

"We would have competitions in the dorm and play NCAA and FIFA," said Smith, who also played quarterback behind Fitzwater. "We had fun times in the dorms doing that. That’s the stuff we’re going to miss the most, good times like that. Everyone's remembering him on the field, but we’ll remember that stuff."

Fitzwater's roommate, Koy McFarland, couldn't be reached Sunday night, but had posted a photo of the two of them to Instagram.

"I'm speechless. This is my best friend, my roommate, my quarterback. I was his first college passing touchdown. I didn't just lose my friend, I lost a brother," he wrote. "RIP Daniel Fitzwater. Heaven gained one of the greatest person I could ever have a part of my life."

Cullen Greer, who played with Fitzwater and Smith as well, was at the game when he heard the news. He said the world won't be able to replace the brother, son, teammate and friend that Fitzwater was to those who loved him.

"Daniel, he was focused, he had his head on straight. He came to Co-Lin for the right reasons, and he made everyone around him a better person," Greer said. "He had nothing but the brightest future. Not only because of his physical abilities but because he was focused and willing to work."

Greer said Fitzwater's family would come to every game, and that they would stay until the next day and attend Wesson Baptist Church together. He said Fitzwater's faith was a defining factor in his life.

"It's almost kind of selfish for us to mourn him when we should be celebrating for him," he said. "It’s hard to describe him because he really was that good of a person. It’s hard to find such a that kind of a really good person these days, and he was definitely one of them."

Glenn Davis said he and Fitzwater's mother often had conversations about her son.

"He was a great kid, a kid that you never had to worry about being places he didn’t need to be," he said. "I can’t say how many times his mom had said to me that God had a plan for Daniel. But we just didn’t see it happening this way."

Fitzwater's death has impacted the entire Co-Lin family, said Director of Public Relations Natalie Davis.

"To lose him that suddenly has put us all in shock. I have really struggled with it, I got home last night and had a meltdown," she said. "We were lucky to have him here. He didn’t say a whole lot but he had that smile. He was such a great student, such a pleasure to have. He was the kid you want as part of your team and your student body. He made a real impact here."

A Texas native, Fitzwater is survived by his parents, Mike and Kelli Fitzwater, two brothers and one sister.

Contact Therese Apel at tapel@gannett.com. Follow @TRex21 on Twitter.