Craig Ogletree, Footballer

Former Auburn linebacker Craig Ogletree, who also had a brief stop in the NFL, died Monday from complications of COVID-19. He was 53.

Ogletree played four seasons with the Tigers and was co-captain of the 1989 team that won the Southeastern Conference championship.

“Great linebacker, great leader,” said his college roommate, fellow linebacker Quentin Riggins. “He’d make play after play. What most people don’t know is that he was also an excellent student, a brilliant person. Great dad and husband. We just clicked. He was a very special person.”

His best year with Auburn came in 1989 when he had 11 sacks and 113 tackles. That was the third of three straight conference titles the Tigers won.

Ogletree, a Georgia native, was a seventh-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1990 and played one pro season before returning to Auburn to finish his degree. He went on to a career as an area manager for Georgia Power and also was a minister.

In June 2020, he officiated at the funeral service of his college coach, Pat Dye.

Last year, Ogletree was called on to officiate the funeral of Pat Dye, who died in June 2020. He was among a handful of former Tigers players able to attend their old coach’s services amid the COVID quarantine.

Ogletree is survived by his wife, Sherrelle, and three children, sons Austin and Dallas, and daughter Olivia.