Former Miami goaltender Jon Whitacre was killed Thursday in a plane crash. He was 28.
A small, single-engine plane Whitacre was flying with an instructor while working toward his pilot’s license crashed in a field in Louisiana. The instructor, Clarence Collins, also died in the crash.
The cause has not yet been determined.
Whitacre was the RedHawks’ third-string goaltender from 2006 to 2009, appearing in one game on Feb. 15, 2007, against Robert Morris.
“Jon was a very dedicated and passionate young man who cared deeply about Miami hockey,” RedHawks coach Enrico Blasi said in a statement. “This is a terrible tragedy and his loss will be felt by our entire program. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
Whitacre is survived by his parents, Bob and Nancy, and siblings.
Services for Whitacre will be held on Wednesday, July 24 at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. A visitation will be held at noon EDT followed by the funeral service at 2 p.m.
