Central Michigan Mourns the Loss of Tommy Lazzaro
12/26/2024 1:30:00 PM | Football
Former Central Michigan quarterback Tommy Lazzaro passes away on December 22.
DESTIN, Fla.—Central Michigan Football and Central Michigan Athletics mourn the loss of former football player and Sergeant Tommy Lazzaro, who passed away suddenly on Sunday, December 22 in Destin, Fla. Lazzaro, 27, was serving his country as a member of the United States Army. Several reports indicated that he passed away from a hunting accident.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, December 28, 2024, at the Emerald Coast Funeral Home in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. The. The visitation is at 10 a.m. and the service begins at 11 a.m. The service will be followed by an interment at Beal Memorial Cemetery, where Lazzaro will be honored with full military accolades for his service to the United States. The Emerald Coast Funeral Home is located at 161 Racetrack Road Northwest, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547. Lazzaro's tribute is posted at this link.
Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Lazzaro decided to enlist in the United States Army shortly after graduating from Central Michigan University with an Entrepreneurship degree in December 2019.
A 6-foot-4-inch, 215-pound quarterback, Lazzaro saw action in 20 career games with five starts for Central Michigan from 2016-19. He played for head coaches John Bonamego (2016-18) and Jim McElwain (2019). Under McElwain, he helped guide the Chippewas to one of the best one-year turnarounds in college football, an 8-6 overall record, 6-2 MAC record and berth in the MAC Championship game, and appearance in the New Mexico Bowl.
"When we took over the program, Tommy was truly our leader in so many ways," McElwain said. "CMU Football was blessed to have him and will always remember him for all he did for many of us. He will be missed by all of the Chippewas."
In his four-year career, Lazzaro rushed for 542 yards and 11 touchdowns on 133 carries with a long of 31 yards and completed 72 of 149 passes for 758 yards and five touchdowns. He was responsible for a combined 16 touchdowns (11 rushing, 5 passing).
Lazzaro's top performance came on Oct. 13, 2018, vs. Ball State, when he registered a career-best 237 total yards and was responsible for two touchdowns while rushing for a career-high 110 yards on 25 carries and throwing for 127 yards on 11 of 22 completions. He completed a career-best 19 passes for a career-best 153 yards at Michigan State (Sept. 29, 2018).
As a senior in 2019, he was selected by teammates as the recipient of the team's Kurt Dobronski Award, given to the one Chippewa player who "demonstrates great effort, intensity and appreciation for the Chippewa football program." That award followed a season where he rushed for 161 yards and eight touchdowns on 36 carries. Lazzaro scored a career-high two touchdowns vs. Ball State on Nov. 16, 2019. When he rushed for 102 yards vs. Buffalo on Oct. 6, 2018, he became the first Chippewa quarterback since Dan LeFevour in 2009 to break the 100-yard rushing mark.
Prior to his four years at Central Michigan, Lazzaro played one season at Dodge City Community College, where he led the team to a program-best 9-3 record while throwing for 2,237 yards and completing 57.5 percent of his passes and 14 touchdowns with five rushing touchdowns. Lazzaro guided Pine Creek High School to its first two state football championships.
Born June 15, 1997, Lazzaro is a Monument, Colo. native.
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A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, December 28, 2024, at the Emerald Coast Funeral Home in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. The. The visitation is at 10 a.m. and the service begins at 11 a.m. The service will be followed by an interment at Beal Memorial Cemetery, where Lazzaro will be honored with full military accolades for his service to the United States. The Emerald Coast Funeral Home is located at 161 Racetrack Road Northwest, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547. Lazzaro's tribute is posted at this link.
Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Lazzaro decided to enlist in the United States Army shortly after graduating from Central Michigan University with an Entrepreneurship degree in December 2019.
A 6-foot-4-inch, 215-pound quarterback, Lazzaro saw action in 20 career games with five starts for Central Michigan from 2016-19. He played for head coaches John Bonamego (2016-18) and Jim McElwain (2019). Under McElwain, he helped guide the Chippewas to one of the best one-year turnarounds in college football, an 8-6 overall record, 6-2 MAC record and berth in the MAC Championship game, and appearance in the New Mexico Bowl.
"When we took over the program, Tommy was truly our leader in so many ways," McElwain said. "CMU Football was blessed to have him and will always remember him for all he did for many of us. He will be missed by all of the Chippewas."
In his four-year career, Lazzaro rushed for 542 yards and 11 touchdowns on 133 carries with a long of 31 yards and completed 72 of 149 passes for 758 yards and five touchdowns. He was responsible for a combined 16 touchdowns (11 rushing, 5 passing).
Lazzaro's top performance came on Oct. 13, 2018, vs. Ball State, when he registered a career-best 237 total yards and was responsible for two touchdowns while rushing for a career-high 110 yards on 25 carries and throwing for 127 yards on 11 of 22 completions. He completed a career-best 19 passes for a career-best 153 yards at Michigan State (Sept. 29, 2018).
As a senior in 2019, he was selected by teammates as the recipient of the team's Kurt Dobronski Award, given to the one Chippewa player who "demonstrates great effort, intensity and appreciation for the Chippewa football program." That award followed a season where he rushed for 161 yards and eight touchdowns on 36 carries. Lazzaro scored a career-high two touchdowns vs. Ball State on Nov. 16, 2019. When he rushed for 102 yards vs. Buffalo on Oct. 6, 2018, he became the first Chippewa quarterback since Dan LeFevour in 2009 to break the 100-yard rushing mark.
Prior to his four years at Central Michigan, Lazzaro played one season at Dodge City Community College, where he led the team to a program-best 9-3 record while throwing for 2,237 yards and completing 57.5 percent of his passes and 14 touchdowns with five rushing touchdowns. Lazzaro guided Pine Creek High School to its first two state football championships.
Born June 15, 1997, Lazzaro is a Monument, Colo. native.
Follow Central Michigan Football: TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM
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