MIAMI – FIU said Sunday night that wide receiver Aubrey Hill, a standout player at Florida before becoming a longtime coach at Miami and elsewhere, has died after a long illness-related illness. He was 48.
“Aubrey was loved and adored by so many who saw him not only as a coach, but as a great husband and father,” FIU coach Butch Davis said in a release. “We mourn his loss, but we will also remember the great memories he left behind and how honored we all were to be a part of his life. We pray for his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
Hill entered his fourth season on the FIU staff. He died in Florida in the official ‘Fun’ N Gun ‘by coach Steve Spurrier with 18 fangdowns as a member of the Gators, where he served as captain in 1994 as a senior.
He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the Gators from 1996 to 1998. Florida won the national championship in his first season as an assistant.
“Stunned to hear of Aubrey Hill’s passing … one of the best teammates of all time,” tweeted former Florida quarterback Shane Matthews.
Hill was an assistant at Duke, Elon, Pittsburgh and Miami before returning to the Gators. He eventually took over as head coach at his high school alma mater, Miami Carol City, and led that school to a state championship in 2016 before joining Davis’ staff at FIU.
Hill was a 2016 finalist for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year award.
“I first met Coach Hill when I was in high school. I had the pleasure of working with him when I was a GA in Miami,” Dan Shula, Don Shula’s son, tweeted Sunday night. “He was such a great person. Always had a smile on his face and a great attitude towards life.”
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