Sean William Kyle, 19, fell to his death Tuesday after a misstep while laying sheet metal on a roof at a Moore construction site, officials said.
His 6-foot-4, 280-pound body was intimidating on the football field and wrestling mat, said Mark Walker, Edmond Memorial High School football coach.
"Off the field he was like a teddy bear,” the coach said. "He had a loving heart.
"I loved him to death. It is like losing a son.”
Kyle died at Moore Medical Center shortly after the 4 p.m. accident at 1001 S Service Road in Moore, said police Sgt. Todd Strickland.
Kyle was working for the Crossland Construction Co. when he fell about 35 to 40 feet onto a concrete floor. Two other employees witnessed the accident. When the accident happened, Kyle was wearing a safety harness, but it was not attached to a line, Strickland said.
Kyle had just completed his freshman year at Pittsburg (Kan.) State University, where he earned a four-year football scholarship.
After being red-shirted his freshman year, Walker said, Kyle was expected start this fall as a defensive end.
Kyle was an all-state wrestler, losing only one match his senior year.
He graduated from Memorial High School in 2006.
His memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at New Covenant United Methodist Church in Edmond.
He is survived by his father, Joe Kyle, his mother Carole Doolin Kyle, and his twin brother, Kevin, and other brother, J.T.
