University of West Florida football player Ben Conken, 20, died Monday after a battle with cancer, his obituary confirmed.
Conken signed with the Argonauts as a 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker out of Cottage Hill Christian Academy in Mobile, Ala. He was part of the program’s 2024 recruiting class but never appeared in a game for the university. His obituary, posted by Mobile Memorial Gardens Funeral Home, stated that on the afternoon of August 17th, Benjamin “Ben” Walker Conken, 20, “began his eternal journey with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
West Florida Athletics issued a statement on the team’s official X account on Wednesday, August 20, announcing the death. “Shortly after joining our program, he began a hard fought battle with cancer but continued to show his support for UWF,” the statement read. “He will forever remain a member of this team and an Argo for life.”
Cottage Hill head coach Carvel Jones described Conken as a “dawg on the football field,” according to Fox 10, and added that he’ll never forget Conken’s smile — even while battling cancer. Conken played basketball and baseball in addition to football at Cottage Hill. During his senior season, he recorded 10 sacks and 85 tackles while forcing five fumbles, and was named to the Mobile Press Register All-Coastal High School team.
Cottage Hill issued its own statement on the passing, saying “our hearts are broken by his passing,” according to US Magazine.
Conken’s obituary offered a fuller portrait of the young athlete. “Football was his favorite,” it read, “and he dreamed of one day playing Division I. He earned the opportunity to live that dream as a scholarship defensive outside linebacker for the University of West Florida Argonauts. Ben was intensely competitive, but never at the expense of sportsmanship, fairness, and character.”
The obituary continued with words that captured his approach to life: “He lived by a mantra of ‘get up and do something.’ He was not content with a life of passive observation. Even when countless healthcare workers, support staff, and volunteers devoted themselves to his care, Ben was actively learning so that he could return that care tenfold to others,” It added a final note that spoke to his humility: “His heroes were those who saw a need, had the ability to meet it, and quietly answered the call without praise, recognition, or reward. He would absolutely hate to have to read all this about himself.”
In the viral moment that prompted widespread tributes across sports media, UWF’s announcement of Conken’s death spread rapidly online Wednesday, with outlets from Yahoo Sports to the New York Post picking up the story. The Argonauts’ statement emphasizing that Conken “continued to show his support for UWF” throughout his illness resonated with readers, as did the program’s pledge that he would “forever remain a member of this team.” The coverage highlighted the cruel intersection of a young athlete’s dream and a sudden health battle that cut short any on-field career before it could begin.
WKRG reported that the Argonauts plan to honor Conken during their upcoming season.