The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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60 THE WOLVERINE ❱ APRIL 2024 ❱ IN MEMORIAM BY ANTHONY BROOME C raig Roh, a member of the Michigan football family and former standout player, died on Feb. 26 after a bat- tle with colon cancer. The 33-year-old, who was a beacon of positivity among his family, friends and teammates, kept his battle private, and the news of his passing came as a shock to many. "I wanted to let all of his followers know that after an 18-month battle with Stage IV colon cancer, God brought Craig home on Monday, February 26th," his wife, Chelsea, wrote from his X (for- merly Twitter) account. "Craig was not very public with his battle, as he truly just wanted to focus on bringing the best content and building the best products he could." A GoFundMe page was established for his wife and son's expenses and to help them get back on their feet and cover his future education. Roh's wife explained her late husband's mentality on why he chose to keep his battle mostly private. "For the past 18 months Craig has been battling and fighting through vari- ous cancer treatments. Craig did not want to go public with his diagnosis and battle because, in true Craig fashion, he did not want the attention to be on him. From chemo, to targeted therapy, to clinical trials at MD Anderson [Can- cer Center] and in Honduras, Craig was resilient till the very end." Roh, a native of Scottsdale, Ariz., was a four-year player in Ann Arbor, start- ing a program-record 51 consecutive games — 20 of which came at outside linebacker with 29 at defensive end, and two at defensive tackle. In all, he amassed 148 total tackles, 80 solo stops, 26.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, 1 inter- ception, 1 pass deflection and 3 forced fumbles. The second-team All-Big Ten selec- tion in 2012 went on to have a profes- sional playing career that lasted nearly a decade with stops with the Carolina Panthers, Omaha Mammoths, BC Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts. Following his pro days, Roh gained a large social media following in the foot- ball community producing coaching videos for a program he founded called "D-Line University." "After football, Craig wanted to ex- pand his career into technology, and RemembeRing CRaig Roh Former Football Standout, 33, Passed Away Feb. 26, 2024, After A Private Battle With Cancer Roh was a four-year standout at Michigan who started a record 51 consecutive games from 2009-12 and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY