Penn football player Owen Thomas dies

Owen Thomas, a junior defensive end on the Penn football team who was called "the most popular kid on our team" by his coach, was found dead Monday afternoon in his off-campus apartment.

Thomas was found about 2 p.m., by roommates, who called paramedics. He was pronounced at the scene.

The cause of death was not immediately available, and the body has been turned over to the city Medical Examiner's Office, authorities said. No other details were disclosed.

"No foul play is suspected," university spokeswoman Lori Doyle said.

Philadelphia police said the case was not being treated as a homicide.

Thomas, 21, of Allentown, was found in an apartment near 39th Street and Baltimore Avenue that he shared with four roommates, Penn coach Al Bagnoli said.

Thomas, who was named second-team all-Ivy League at the end of the 2009 season, recently had been elected one of four captains for 2010. He was enrolled in the Wharton School.

Bagnoli said the discovery was tough on everybody who knew him.

"It's hard with anybody, but with this kid . . . it's amazing how popular he was," the coach said. "He was very outgoing. He had an infectious personality. He literally got 90 percent of the votes for captain. I'm absolutely numb how this can happen to a kid like that."

Penn's final squad meetings of the spring came last week. Bagnoli said he last saw Thomas on Friday, working out in the weight room.

"Certainly, there was no outward indication about anything being wrong," he said.

This is the second time in less than five years that Bagnoli and the Penn football program have had to deal with a tragedy involving a player.

Kyle Ambrogi, a senior running back from Havertown, took his own life Oct. 10, 2005.

"Unfortunately, I have a little more experience handling this than I did then," Bagnoli said. "Our team met at 5 o'clock with all the support services on campus and the religious people who travel with our team.

"We know we can't get through this on our own. We're going to handle it as one big family. We want to make sure his roommates are OK. We're going to pay particular attention to them because they stumbled upon him. It's a delicate situation but right now; our whole team is an emotional mess."

Bagnoli said word of Thomas' death "shocked everybody beyond belief."

"The kids gravitated to him all the time," he said. "So this is devastating under any circumstances, but he's the most popular kid on our team. He was a kid that reached out to everybody, embraced everybody. He was always positive and upbeat."

Thomas, who was 6-foot-2 and weighed 240 pounds, was a major part of the defense that helped lead Penn to the 2009 Ivy League championship, finishing second in the league in sacks with six. In all, he had 29 tackles, with eight of those tackles for a loss.

He started every game during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, 20 in all. He did not see varsity action as a freshman.

Thomas graduated from Parkland High School in Allentown, earning all-league recognition there as a tight end and linebacker.

According to Penn's media guide, Thomas' brother, Matt, played football at Penn before graduating in 2000. Another brother, Morgan, plays football at East Stroudsburg.

He is survived by his parents, Katherine Brearley and Thomas Thomas.