Five days after he died suddenly at the age of 26, Chicago Bears defensive end Gaines Adams was remembered today more as a family man than a football player.
Bears coach Lovie Smith, who spoke at Adams’ funeral in Easley, South Carolina, said that in his first conversation with Adams the night he was traded to the Bears from the Buccaneers, they talked about fatherhood and not football.
“He talked about his two children and how proud he was to be their father,” Smith said.
Another of Adams’ coaches, former Clemson coach Tommy Bowden, said that Adams’ best friend was his father.
“You could see how special the relationship was,” Bowden said. “You could see why Gaines made the decisions that he did.”