Video: Former Navy Lacrosse Player Dies in Helicopter Crash

Brendan Looney, a former Navy lacrosse player who lived in Silver Spring, was among nine U.S. military personnel killed in a Blackhawk helicopter crash Tuesday in southern Afghanistan. The cause was believed to be accidental. Looney a 1999 graduate of DeMatha Catholic High played football and baseball before matriculating to the Naval Academy.

According to a Washington Post article about the family, Brendan Looney was originally recruited to Navy to play football, and took up organized lacrosse for the first time in 2002 after leaving the football team. In 2004, the three brothers (Brendan, Steve and Billy) were able to play together on the same team for the first time.

Brendan was fond of playing with his younger brothers. He stated in a Washington Post article in 2004, "This year has been so fun, because it’s great to see my brothers play so well. It’s great to see Billy score goals and see all that Steve does on the field. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”

The family was expected to receive the body early Wednesday afternoon at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Funeral arrangements were incomplete.

Also, All-American defenseman, Andy Dow, was seriously injured in the crash. Dow, a 2007 Naval Academy graduate, was transported to a hospital in Germany.

 


Read more about the tragedy in the Baltimore Sun and Military Times.
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