By Randy Whitehouse,Staff Writer

WINTHROP – For the fifth time in little more than two years, a young man with ties to Winthrop High School football has taken his own life.

Chad Garwood, a football and basketball standout who graduated in 2003, committed suicide in Portland last Saturday.

Garwood, 20, is the fifth person who played or had played football at Winthrop to take his own life in the last 26 months.

The list of tragic deaths also includes Lee St. Hilaire, Jason Marston, Troy Ellis and Bryant Donovan.

The news of Garwood’s passing was met with shock, sadness and anger in a town where the passion for its football team and players is second to none.

“I’m 31 years old and I’ve seen five people that are close to me take their own lives, and you shouldn’t have to go through that in your lifetime,” said Winthrop varsity football coach Joel Stoneton.

Stoneton described Garwood as a bright, good-looking, popular kid at Winthrop with a heart of gold.

“He was so well-liked,” he said. “His social circle was everybody.”

“Chad was the type of kid that you wanted to know where he was in 10 years,” he added. “You wanted to see how successful he’d become.”

“He was a good athlete, but he was a better young man,” said former Winthrop athletic director Jeff Deblois. “It’s really a loss.”

Garwood was one of the most gifted athletes to ever pass through Winthrop. He collected all-conference and all-state honors in both football and basketball.

Stoneton was an assistant under Norm Thombs in 2000 when Garwood, then a sophomore, started at defensive back for the undefeated team that beat MCI, 22-0, for the Class C championship. His fourth-quarter interception and return to the one-yard line helped seal the win for the Ramblers.

“(Defensive coordinator) Art Van Wart knew he was going to be a big-time player as a sophomore, and he proved it,” Stoneton said. “He was the kind of player you dreamed of having on a football team because he brought everybody around and up.”

Garwood’s versatility and defensive prowess made him one of the top basketball players in the Mountain Valley Conference. He led the Ramblers to the Class C championship game in 2003, where they lost to George Stevens Academy.

He received a scholarship to attend Colby College and spent a year there before transferring to the University of Southern Maine.

Current Winthrop football players, some of whom played with Garwood, have been picking up there equipment this week for next season.

“They’re doing the best they can with it. Some of the upperclassmen played with him, so they’re struggling with it,” Stoneton said.

The passing of the other four football players just adds to the devastation, Stoneton said.

“We’ve talked about it as a coaching staff and we want these kids to know that we’re angry about this,” he said. “It’s a selfish act, and the rest of us are continually left to put the pieces back together.”

“We’re just not sure what’s going on,” he added. “We do not approve of this. It seems kind of silly to say that, but you can’t ignore the connection of all of these football kids.”

Stoneton said a crisis team is in place at the high school to help students deal with the tragedy. He said school officials are also working on ways to address the spate of suicides among Winthrop’s young athletes.

“I wish we had an answer,” Deblois said.

Garwood is survived by his parents, Steven Garwood, of Winthrop, and Michele Garwood, of Augusta, and his sister, Amanda. A wake will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at Knowlton and Hewins Funeral Home, 1 Church St. in Augusta. A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Francis Xavier Church in Winthrop. Burial will follow at the Lakeview Cemetery in Winthrop.

Memorial donations in Chad Garwood’s name can be made to the Winthrop Athletic Booster Club, c/o Sue McCarthy, 455 Winthrop Center Rd., Winthrop, ME 04364, or the Sexual Assault and Crisis Support Center, 3 Milliken Ct., Augusta, ME 04330.