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University of West Florida football player Ben Conken died on Monday, August 17, after a battle with cancer. He was 20.
“We are deeply saddened to share the loss of a fellow Argo, Ben Conken,” UWF Football shared via Instagram on Wednesday, August 19. “Shortly after joining our program, he began a hard fought battle with cancer but continued to show his support for UWF. He will forever remain a member of this team and an Argo for life. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those who knew and loved him.”
Conken committed to the University of West Florida in February 2024 after playing high school football at Cottage Hill Christian Academy in Mobile, Alabama. He received a full-ride scholarship to West Florida, but never got to play due to his diagnosis.
“He was a high character guy, great family, hard worker,” Cottage Hill football coach Carvel Jones told Fox 10. “He was a dawg on the football field, but he was a great person off the field. We love the Conken family, and he’s going to be truly missed. I’ll never forget Ben’s smile as he walked into the room.”
Cottage Hill Christian Academy said in a statement, “While our hearts are broken by his passing, we are comforted by the knowledge that he knew the Lord and placed his faith in Him. His earthly battle is over, and we trust that he is now resting in the presence of his Savior.”
Conken’s obituary explained, “Ben lived by faith, family, and friends, and in his final moments with us, he was surrounded by the strength of all three.”
“He lived by a mantra of ‘get up and do something,’” the obituary read. “He was not content with a life of passive observation. Even when countless healthcare workers, support staff, and volunteers devoted themselves to his care, Ben was actively learning so that he could return that care tenfold to others. His heroes were those who saw a need, had the ability to meet it, and quietly answered the call without praise, recognition, or reward. He would absolutely hate to have to read all this about himself.”
Conken’s cousin Tracy Barrick Hill said the late football star “excelled in everything he did.”
“Sometimes we just won’t understand things [on] this side of Heaven,” she wrote via Facebook. “But, what we do know is God knows what’s best and Ben is walking the streets of gold in no more pain. Selfishly, we will miss Ben but he’s now in his eternal home. That’s the only peace that I can find through all this.”
Ben is survived by his parents, Christopher and Christine, his brother, Will, and his sister, Molly.
A funeral will be held at Cottage Hill Baptist Church on Saturday, August 22.
