A California college football player with dreams of continuing his career at the next level was killed in a single-car crash that also injured two of his teammates, leaving his family, coaches and friends devastated.
Ja’Marion “Pop” Grace, 19, was a freshman defensive back at the College of San Mateo and had recently joined the Bulldogs after graduating from Vanden High School in Fairfield.
The crash happened early Sunday, Sept. 20, on northbound Highway 101 near Yerba Buena Road in San Jose.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the driver of a 2013 Ford Fusion lost control of the vehicle.
Grace, who was riding as a passenger, was ejected from the car and suffered fatal injuries.
He died at the scene.
Two other people in the vehicle, both reportedly Grace’s teammates, survived the crash and were injured.
The 19-year-old driver was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. A second passenger also suffered injuries.
Authorities have not publicly released additional details about the severity of their injuries.
The investigation into what caused the driver to lose control remains ongoing.
For Grace’s teammates, the loss has been crushing.
The College of San Mateo football program remembered him as far more than just a player.
“Pop wasn’t just a teammate — he was a brother,” the team said in a tribute.
Coaches and teammates said Grace had an infectious personality and brought energy wherever he went.
They remembered him for dancing in the locker room, joking during team meetings and constantly showing up for the people around him.
Grace had loved football for nearly his entire life.
His mother, Ashley Grant, said he started playing the sport when he was just 5 years old and never lost his passion for the game.
“He said, ‘Mom, I’m a football player. Football is my passion,’” she recalled.
Grant said her son knew how proud she was of him.
She described him as someone who was easy to love and said she frequently reminded him that he was her “superstar.”
Grace’s grandmother, Felicia Brown, remembered him as an especially kind young man who had a natural connection with children.
She said kids loved being around him.
The loss has also reached far beyond his college football team.
Grace’s former high school program, the Vanden Vikings, honored its former player and referenced the No. 3 jersey he wore while playing there.
The Vallejo Generals basketball organization, where Grace had also played, shared its own tribute.
A fundraiser has since been created to help Grace’s family with funeral expenses and give him what organizers described as the celebration of life he deserves.
The fundraiser describes Grace as a son, grandson, brother and friend whose presence brought “love, laughter” and warmth to the people around him.
As of the latest update, the campaign had raised more than $37,000 from hundreds of donors.
Grace had only recently begun the next chapter of his football career.
Instead of watching him develop through his freshman season, his teammates are now mourning a player they considered family.