Above photo of Sennie (center) by Pat Carrigan/UMHB Athletics Department
By Riley Zayas and Gina Spataro
BELTON- It is with deep sorrow that True To The Cru has learned of the death of UMHB safety Jackson Sennie, who passed away on Sunday morning as the result of a car accident.
The news was relayed to the team in a meeting Monday afternoon.
“Jackson was the ultimate teammate,” UMHB head coach Larry Harmon said of Sennie on Monday. “He never had a bad day. He always had a smile on his face. Even when he broke his elbow this year, he was always positive, always smiling.”
Sennie, a native of San Antonio, had recently finished his sophomore season with the Cru, which culminated in a Stagg Bowl victory. In that game, he recorded one total tackle, helping the defense hold a powerful North Central offense to just 24 points.
Despite an elbow injury suffered in the win over Hardin-Simmons on Sept. 25 that kept him out six games, Sennie saw action in eight contests as a sophomore. He tallied four total tackles, one solo, and an interception, which came in the season opener against Simpson College.
As a freshman, the 6’0, 195 lb defensive back played in four of UMHB’s five games in the abbreviated spring season. He contributed with five tackles, three of which were solo, and notched his first collegiate interception against Southwestern.
An All-District and All-State football player for Smithson Valley High School, Sennie was part of UMHB’s Class of 2019 recruiting class. He was a BCIS (Bachelor of Computer Information Systems) major at UMHB, and was beginning his fourth semester in Belton.
Harmon, who served as the defensive coordinator for both of Sennie’s seasons with the Cru, noted the safety as being a true team-first player who set an example for the rest of the team to follow.
“When you think of ‘teammate’, you think of Jackson Sennie,” Harmon said. “That’s just who he was.”
This story will be updated as further information becomes available.
RIP