To help pay tribute to Kirk Urso, Crew veterans Eddie Gaven and Andy Gruenebaum were kind enough to share their memories of their fallen teammate.
Eddie Gaven: "One of my fondest memories of Kirk was down in Florida during preseason this year. We had some down time in between training sessions, and so Andy and I invited him over to our room to teach him how to play Settlers of Catan, a nerdy board game we sometimes play. I figured it'd take him a while to learn and so I was expecting to get a few easy victories against him. But he picked it up incredibly fast -- so fast actually, that he beat us the first two games! I remember thinking then, that there was something special about this kid. And indeed, there was. He was everything you could ask for in a teammate -- honest, hard-working, and humble. On the field, I always wanted him on my team during practice, and off the field, I always enjoyed his company, his sense of humor, and his infectious positive attitude. I will miss him as my teammate for sure. But I'll miss him even more as my friend."
Andy Gruenebaum: "From day one of preseason, it was apparent that Kirk was tailor made for our locker room. It is very rare for a rookie to come into a professional environment and put their stamp on the clubhouse, both personality and playing wise. I can speak volumes about the characters of all of our rookie class this year, but Kirk seemed to embody everything that a friend would want, and a franchise could build upon. Even with an injury setback, Kirk showed up everyday with a smile on his face, and a positive demeanor. I have never had the privilege of meeting Kirk's family, however in my blessed time around Kirk, it is obvious that he had a wonderful upbringing and support group in his friends and family that helped shape him into the wonderful person that he was!"
A special thank you to Eddie and Andy for sharing these memories of Kirk during this difficult time.
