Autopsy finds Bogan High School football player died of head trauma

A 17-year-old Bogan High School football player who was injured on the final play of Bogan’s game Thursday night against Chicago Vocational at Amos Alonzo Stagg Stadium died as a result of head trauma, an autopsy Saturday found.

Andre Smith died of “blunt-force head injuries due to a football accident,” the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

Smith is the seventh high school football player in the United States known to have died from game-related injuries this season.

He walked off the field after blocking another player on a kick return play, “went down, and he got back up and walked back to the visitors’ side of the field,” according to stadium announcer Jimmy Smith, but then collapsed and was taken to Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, where he died at 6:10 am Friday.

Smith also played on the basketball team, had run track and was hoping to walk on with the football team at Western Illinois University next year.

“He was just a great kid, never negative,” said Cantrell Davis, a friend who played football with Smith at Rich Central before Smith transferred to Bogan. “He smile was just perfect.”