Former NC State QB/Detroit Lion survives suicide attempt
Former NC State quarterback Erik Kramer was admitted into the hospital after suffering what was termed a non-life threatening gunshot wound amid reports that it may have been self-inflicted. National and local news outlets have reported that the ex-NFL and Wolfpack star suffered the injury in an apparent suicide attempt Tuesday night at a Calabasas, California motel. Family and friends appear to confirm the story by relating the incident to Kramer’s longtime battle with depression.
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Kramer played at NC State in the 1985 and 1986 seasons where he threw for 4,602 yards and 30 touchdowns. In 1986 Kramer was named ACC player of the year. Kramer transferred from Pierce College in Woodland Hills, California where he became a junior college All-American. Initially playing under former head coach Tom Reed, Kramer’s Pack suffered a dismal 3-8 season. However, the next year after Reed’s dismissal, Kramer and the rest of the NC State squad had a miraculous turnaround to end the season with a Chick-Fil-A Peach bowl invitation (NC State lost to Virginia Tech 24-25) and an 8-3-1 final record.
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The 50-year-old Kramer retired from the NFL in 1999 after a decent career in which he amassed 15,337 yards and 92 touchdowns in 10 seasons playing for Detroit, Chicago and San Diego.
The highlight of Kramer’s career came in 1991 when Kramer led the Detroit Lions to a 12-4 record and an appearance in the NFC Championship game. In 2011, Kramer’s 18-year-old son Griffen died of a heroin overdose. Ex-wife Marshawn Linville-Kramer said on Thursday that her former husband was “in a hospital bed in a medically induced coma.”
The Wolfpack Nation and football fans alike wish a speedy recovery for the gritty quarterback.