Dimitrious Stanley, Former Ohio State WR, Dies at Age 48

Former Ohio State wide receiver Dimitrious Stanley, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019, died at the age of 48, per Joey Kaufman and Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch.

Ohio State announced the program is "mourning" his loss.

Stanley played not far from Ohio State's campus at Thomas Worthington high school before his college career started. Thomas Worthington high school football coach Mike Picetti shared news of his death on Thursday:

Dee Miller, who was teammates with Stanley on the Buckeyes, called his death "heartbreaking news for everybody," per Kaufman and Rabinowitz. "Teammates. Buckeye Nation. He fought very, very hard.

"It was remarkable to see how he handled things after being diagnosed, the way he fought, and the way he still tried to live his life and be around for his family. Selfishly, we're all going to miss him physically, but we didn't want him to continue to suffer the way he was."

While Stanley played in the Canadian Football League and the Arena Football League, he was best known for his time in Scarlet and Gray.

He played at Ohio State from 1993 through 1996 and was one of the leading playmakers on the team in his final season with 43 catches for 829 yards and eight touchdowns. In fact, he led the Buckeyes in receiving yards that year even though future NFL Pro Bowler David Boston was on the roster.

Stanley returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown against Notre Dame that season, tallied 10 catches for 199 yards and the winning touchdown against Wisconsin, and hauled in a 72-yard score during the Rose Bowl win over Arizona State.

He remained well known around the Columbus, Ohio, area even after his playing days, in part because he provided coverage of the team for the local ABC affiliate.