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Former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler dies, Mark Dantonio confirms

Former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler has died, coach Mark Dantonio confirmed Sunday afternoon.

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Former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler has died, coach Mark Dantonio confirmed Sunday afternoon.

Dantonio confirmed the news at 2:34 p.m. on his Twitter page with the following message: "He gave us all so much in so little time. Our thoughts & prayers are with him & his family. #RIPMikeSadler."

The Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star reported Sunday afternoon that Sadler and Sam Foltz, the Nebraska football team's senior punter, both died in an automobile crash Saturday night in Merton, Wis. The newspaper reports Sadler and Foltz were reported dead at the scene by police. The newspaper also reported Sadler was the driver of the vehicle.

Messages left Sunday afternoon with the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department by the Lansing State Journal weren't returned. An official who answered the dispatch line earlier in the day said the department was expected to release more information about the crash later in the day.

Sadler, who started at MSU from 2011-14, was also the school's first four-time Academic All-American. In 2014, he was a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy for the country’s top scholar-athlete.

He's a Grand Rapids native who attended Forest Hills Northern High School.

Nebraska coach Mike Riley released a statement on Foltz: "Last night, we lost one of the best young men who I have ever had the honor to coach and who has ever worn the Nebraska uniform. Sam was universally loved and respected by everyone he touched and on whom he had a positive influence each and every day."

Sadler finished his MSU career ranked among the football program's all-time leaders in punts (second with 268), punting yards (second with 11,307) and punting average (sixth at 42.2), according to MSUSpartans.com.

Ken Mannie, MSU's head strength and conditioning coach, told the LSJ that Sadler was driven to be successful both on and off the field. Mannie said Sadler earned undergraduate and master's degrees at the school in less than four years and never appeared to get down on himself.

"As soon as you met Mike Sadler and talked to him, you fell in love with him in about five minutes," Mannie said.

Sadler had a tryout for the Tampa Bay Bucs in May 2015.

Sadler was popular on social media, known for his humor, and his passing led to an outpouring of support from former MSU teammates and people around the program.

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