Posted on 01/10/2012 4:58:06 AM PST by WOBBLY BOB
MILWAUKEE - Oshkosh, Wis., police on Monday confirmed they had positively identified the body of a man believed to be the 21-year-old son of Green Bay Packers' offensive coordinator Joe Philbin.
Oshkosh police spokesman Joseph Nichols said the identity of the person, whose body was pulled from the Fox River near the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus, was not being released pending official notification and wishes of the family.
Members of the Packers, however, were told that the body was that of Michael Philbin. In addition, some players sent condolences out on Twitter.
Police said foul play was not suspected, but that the case was still under investigation.
(Excerpt) Read more at twincities.com ...
Poor kid was probably just out on a Saturday night, having some beers and horsing around with his buddies, and the ice gave way. I doubt foul play was involved, just a nasty accident. Prayers for him and his family.
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Another Wisconsin college student found in the river. So sad. I cannot imagine raising a child to college age and then losing him to some bizarre accident (probably fueled by alcohol.)
So very sad. He was a beautiful kid. Prayers for the family.
it’s fairly common for college kids to drown in the river near river towns in WI.
“Another Wisconsin college student found in the river. So sad. I cannot imagine raising a child to college age and then losing him to some bizarre accident (probably fueled by alcohol.)”
I agree entirely. I strongly believe that alcohol has become too much of the ‘culture’ of college, and that the universities need to come down harder on irresponsible drinking. I’ve done my share, and understand ‘rites of passage’ and all that, but enough is enough. There is absolutely nothing cool or entertaining about being drunk.
Although there haven't been any recently, for a while there were numerous incidents of college kids drowning in the Mississippi in my old hometown of La Crosse, Wisc. Quite a few people suspected there was a serial killer on the loose targeting male college kids. The fact is these kids were found with no marks on their bodies suggesting there was no struggle with an assailant. The most likely conclusion: they got severely drunk, became disoriented, and wandered down to the river, which is only a block or two from many bars in La Crosse, and fell in. Once in the river, the swift current and the cold water most of the year would make it extremely difficult for a sober person to extricate themselves much less someone extremely inebriated.
In fact, several young males have been fished out of the river after falling in claiming to have no idea how they fell in. Others have been caught staggering towards the river and forcibly made to go in the other direction towards the UW-La Crosse campus. In virtually every incident of a student being stopped and made to turn around, the student insisted he was going in the right direction.
Easier to walk down hill when drunk?
But a bigger qustion remains: where were their buddies? I think all kids should be cautioned to stick with companions when out for a night on the town. Then, if you fall in the drink, somebody can raise an alarm.
When I was in college (back in the dark ages) we were prohibited from being out at night alone. Of course, we were women. But, even the guys in living groups were not out wandering around alone. Part of it was because there were few cars, so the students formed groups around the lucky guy who had a car. Still, we didn’t show up missing. We saw each other home and waited until our companion was inside before leaving. Of course this prevented couples from spending the night with each other, but that was prohibited in those days too. It was a good system.
RIP.
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Was he living in a van down by the river?
Wow, even a Bears fan feels bad for this guy and his family.
pretty sad.
How sad for this family. Kids, especially college kids, never seem to learn. You do wonder why they don’t hang in packs when they go out drinking, with a ‘designated walker.’
There was a picture in the local paper today of a boat searching for the body. There is no ice on that river. ???
All the stranger, but it’s been an odd winter. Saw central US running right up to the Canadian border had temps up to 60 on New Year’s Day. Makes this more inexplicable.
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