Cameron Ontko, a former professional football player who briefly took his game to the NFL, died suddenly at the age of 33.
The former linebacker passed away on March 7. His mother, Brenda Boulton, indicated his cause of death as a ruptured ulcer in a social media post.
‘Cal Poly mourns the loss of former linebacker Cameron Ontko,’ his alma mater wrote in a statement shared on social media. ‘Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and former teammates.’
Ontko tried to make it in the NFL, participating in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers minicamp before playing three years in the Canadian Football League.
He walked away from the sport in 2018 at the age of 26, citing concerns for his mental and physical health.
The Ohio native started his football career at collegiate level, first playing for Wisconsin, playing two seasons with the Badgers.
Cameron Ontko, a former professional football player, died suddenly at the age of 33
After spending the majority of his time on the defensive scout team, Ontko transferred to Cal Poly, a Big Sky Conference (FCS) school based in San Luis Obispo, California, in 2012.
In 35 games with the Mustangs, Ontko tallied 257 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, seven pass knockdowns, two sacks, and two interceptions.
However, his performances for Cal Poly were not enough to convince any team to select him in the NFL Draft.
Instead, he participated in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ rookie minicamp in May 2015 in an attempt to earn a spot on the roster or practice squad. However, his attempt to make it to the NFL was unsuccessful.
Yet, undeterred, Ontko took his talents to Canada where he played 29 games over three seasons in the CFL for the Calgary Stampeders (2015), BC Lions (2016) and Saskatchewan Roughriders (2017).
When announcing his retirement in 2018, Ontko cited concerns over the long-term effects of hits to the head on retired football players.
More to follow.
