SMU Assistant Football Coach Jamal Powell Dies at Age 39

SMU assistant football coach Jamal Powell died Tuesday after being diagnosed with incurable cancer and Guillen-Barre Syndrome, per Frank Heinz of NBC DFW.

Powell died four days before his 40th birthday.

The school confirmed the news Wednesday:

"It’s hard to put into words how heartbroken our family is, but we are so thankful such a remarkable and unique man came into our life," head coach Sonny Dykes said in a statement. "He made everyone he met want to be better. God bless the Powell Family."

Powell spent the past three years at SMU, beginning as an offensive line coach in 2018 before becoming an offensive quality control analyst.

He had also spent time on the coaching staffs at Lamar, James Madison, West Virginia State, Centre College and Southwest Baptist University after starting as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M.

As a player, Powell was a first-team All-Conference USA selection at TCU and spent limited time in the NFL before playing in the Canadian Football League.

Powell first announced his diagnosis of Stage 4 cancer in August 2020.