Matt Ulrich, former Super Bowl champ, dead at age 41

Matt Ulrich, who played with the Indianapolis Colts, has died at the age of 41, the team's owner Jim Irsay announced Wednesday. Ulrich was an offensive lineman who was on the Colt's Super Bowl championship team in 2006. 

"I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of Matt Ulrich," Irsay tweeted. "Matt was with us only two seasons, but left his mark on many. Great guy, I hear he was a great dad---and he was a Super Bowl champ. My prayers to his family." 

A cause of death has not been released.

I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of Matt Ulrich. Matt was with us only two seasons, but left his mark on many. Great guy, I hear he was a great dad---and he was a Super Bowl champ. My prayers to his family. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Cb21IkP1XT

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) November 8, 2023

Ulrich and his wife, Alison Flikkema Ulrich, had four sons, Gunther, Dalton, Bowden and Thoreau, according to a fundraising page made for the family after Ulrich's death.

In a Facebook post, Allison Ulrich confirmed her husband "has passed away and is in a better place." "Matt, we love you so so much. You are profoundly missed. We all want you back for just one more day. One more hug. One more kiss. One more laugh. One more joke. One more wrestle with the boys," she wrote.

Ulrich played at Northwestern University and went on to play two seasons in the NFL in 2005 and 2006, according to CBS Sports.

He was a part of Harvard University's Football Players Health Study, "which examines the multifactorial causes that impact the health and wellbeing of former NFL players," the university said. He served as an adviser to players in the study, which looked at the impacts of football on their short- and long-term health. 

Ulrich cofounded DexaFit LLC, a chain of body fat and metabolic testing centers, according to Harvard. He also served as managing director and partner at Profitable Ideas Exchange, leading a peer network for executives.

In:
• Sports
• Indianapolis Colts
• Obituary

Caitlin O'Kane

Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.