Nash’s charm touched many

ST. LOUIS — Damien Nash was remembered Monday as a charismatic man with a captivating smile who died as he lived, competing in sports and helping his community.

“I don’t understand why he’s gone,” Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said during a eulogy. “We never had a guy play for one year, as Damien did, and influence so many people.”

More than 1,000 people paid respects to the former Missouri running back. Nash died in his suburban St. Louis home Feb. 24 after playing in a basketball tournament that raised money for heart transplant research.

The medical examiner’s office said the cause of death has not been determined, and autopsy results might not be available for weeks.

“There’s no denying the love he put out to people, especially kids,” Nash’s cousin Corey Perdue said before Nash’s funeral service in St. Louis. “He was a real inspiration.”

Dozens of Nash’s former teammates and coaches attended the three-hour service, from his fellow Denver Broncos to his middle school football coach. Many spoke during the funeral, recalling a 24-year-old man who smiled often, played hard and loved his family.

Although Nash often lived away from home, he always kept pictures of his wife, Judy, and his 7-month-old daughter, Phaith, taped to his locker, Shanahan said.

The capacity crowd at the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church represented a cross-section of Nash’s life.

Childhood friends and family knew Nash from his working-class boyhood home. They stood next to NFL stars in dapper suits and black sunglasses who met Nash only recently when he reached the highest levels of the game he loved to play.

Whether they knew him for a lifetime or one season, everyone recalled the same huge personality.

Several said they would never forget Nash’s smile.

“The young man would look back at me with the biggest smile,” said Broncos linebacker Al Wilson, drawing a knowing laugh from the crowd.

Coaches and players from Nash’s teenage years said his athletic ability shone through from the start. Nash attended Riverview Gardens High School and graduated from East St. Louis (Ill.) High School in 2001.

After playing two seasons for Missouri, Nash was a fifth-round draft choice by Tennessee in 2005.