A Southern California high school football legend, Herman Ho-Ching, drowned Sunday after jumping into an Oregon river.
Ho-Ching, 44, was with family members at Riverside Park in Clackamas, a Portland suburb, when he jumped from a cement water intake structure in the Clackamas River, said a report from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.
He failed to resurface, and he was pulled unresponsive from the river by emergency crews responding to the 911 call.
On Monday, the Oregonian reported the death.
In 1997, his senior year at Long Beach Poly, Ho-Ching was one of the nation’s top running back recruits. He clinched his reputation with a dominating performance as Poly defeated heavily favored Mater Dei in the CIF Southern State championship.
He played two seasons for the Oregon Ducks before he was dismissed from the team for academic reasons. Off-the-field issues scuttled his announced transfer to Nevada in 2001.
In announcing Ho-Ching’s death, the sheriff’s office identified his city of residence as Portland.
His nieces Tiare and Ki’ele are standout softball players for Long Beach Poly. Tiare, a rising senior, has committed to play for Arizona State.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Tiara and Ki’ele as Herman Ho-Ching’s daughters. They are his nieces.