Former Heisman Trophy finalist and record-setting Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan has died at the age of 37, his father told the Star-Advertiser on Tuesday.
Terry Brennan told the Star-Advertiser that his son was a patient at a rehab facility in California when he was found unconscious a few days ago. Colt Brennan died at Hoag Hospital in Newport, Calif., Terry Brennan said.
“He was doing so well, the spark was back in his eyes, and he was healthy and doing great, and it happened,” Terry Brennan told the Star-Advertiser. “It just got away from him. I don’t know how else to explain it.”
Colt Brennan, who had been at the facility for five months, died peacefully with the family by his side, his father told the paper.
“His sisters had a lei around him when he was unconscious. They had the music of Bob Marley playing near his ear,” Terry Brennan told the Star-Advertiser.
Brennan was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2007 after throwing for 4,343 yards and 38 touchdowns in leading the Rainbow Warriors to a 12-1 mark. His best season came in 2006 when he threw for 5,549 yards and 58 TDs — both tops Division I — but he finished sixth in Heisman voting that year.
Hawaii earned a Sugar Bowl bid in 2008 where it lost to Georgia.
In three seasons at Hawaii, Brennan threw for 14,193 yards, 9th in NCAA history since 1956, with 131 passing TDs against 42 interceptions. He remains the all-time record-holder for highest career completion percentage in FBS history.
He was selected in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL draft by the then-Washington Redskins. He was in the league three years – never seeing game action – with Washington, Baltimore and Oakland, and had stints in the United Football League, Canadian Football League and Arena Football League.
Brennan was arrested at his home in Kailua-Kona last November and charged with disorderly conduct. Brennan was arrested in August 2020 at the Kona Seaside Hotel for causing a disturbance and refusing to leave. He was charged with DUI in 2019.
Brennan was hospitalized for eight days in 2010 after a head-on collision that left him with head, rib and collarbone injuries. He was the passenger in an SUV driven by his girlfriend.
–Field Level Media