Former Iowa standout Kyle Calloway killed by train

After his career at Iowa, Kyle Calloway had a brief stint with the Buffalo Bills. (AP Photo)

Former Iowa standout Kyle Calloway died Saturday when he was struck by a train. He was 29 years old.

According to the Tucson News Now, police believe Calloway was jogging westbound along the train tracks when the train hit him from behind around 11 a.m. Calloway was struck away from any nearby roadways, police said.

From Tucson News Now:

The situation is somewhat unusual in that it happened entirely on the railroad tracks and not on any roadway or at a railroad crossing, said Sgt. Pete Dugan, a spokesman with the Tucson Police Department.

Police determined that Calloway was jogging westbound, on and off the tracks, when he was struck from behind by the westbound train. Because of that, Union Pacific is handling the entire investigation, he said.

Justin Jacobs, a spokesman for Union Pacific, said a westbound train struck “an adult male trespasser.” No other injuries were reported, and the cause of the collision is under investigation, he said.

“Pedestrians – and anyone, actually – the only safe and legal place to cross the tracks is at a designated crossing,” Jacobs said.

Ed Calloway, Kyle’s father, told the Cedar Rapids Gazette that his son jogged along that railroad path “for exercise.”

“He liked to run and it had rained the day before and the area where he ran was muddy, and so he was going back and forth across the tracks to get out of the mud,” Ed Calloway said.

“The longer version is at our old house, the train on the right side of the tracks went east, and the train on the left tracks went west. Our presumption is this train was on the opposite side that he was used to so he got on to the side so the train would have been coming at him from the front. We think that he got confused because the train somehow had been slopped over and was going in a different direction that he was used to. We don’t know, we’re just assuming that’s what happened.”

Calloway, an offensive lineman, started 37 games for the Hawkeyes during his time with the program from 2007-2009. While mainly playing right tackle, Calloway earned second-team all-Big Ten honors in 2008 and 2009.

“We are all stunned and very saddened to hear of the tragic accident claiming the life of Kyle Calloway,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said in a statement. “Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to Kyle’s family and to those who knew him. He was a valued and respected member of our program.”

Calloway was selected in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, but was released during the preseason. He briefly caught on with the Baltimore Ravens in 2011, but was again released before the regular season.

Per the Gazette, the Calloway family plans to donate Kyle’s brain to study the potential effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).