A Spartan through and through, that's how friends remember former MSU punter Mike Sadler best.
Sadler died in a car accident in Wisconsin over the weekend. He was only 24-years-old.
Whether it was on or off the field, former MSU quarterback Conner Cook said Sadler was someone he could always count on.
"It's just, it's heartbreaking," Cook said. "This one is going to hurt for a while."
Cook played in the 2014 Rose Bowl with Sadler, calling him a close friend who made everyone smile.
"There wasn't one guy on that football team that he couldn't make laugh, that he couldn't sit down and talk to," Cook added. "Everyone respected him."
Sadler was driving on a rural road in Wisconsin Saturday night when police say he lost control of his car and hit a tree.
There were two passengers in the car. One was 22-year-old Nebraska punter Sam Foltz who died on the scene. The other passenger was 21-year-old Colby Delahoussaye, a senior kicker at LSU. Delahoussaye was released from the hospital with minor injuries.
Cook says there was so much left for Sadler. The 24-year-old just finished his masters degree and was headed to law school in the fall.
"He had such a bright future you know going to Stanford Law, he had the world by his horns and he was going to do nothing but great things," Cook said.
Flowers now lie in front of the rock on MSU's campus, painted in memory of Sadler.
"Just giving his family my condolences," said Former MSU Basketball player Bryn Forbes. "I think everyone is sad."
Even though they didn't play the same sport Forbes says Sadler was the definition of a Spartan.
"He was a really good guy," Forbes said. "It's never fun losing someone who was part of the same team if you want to call it that. We're all part of the Michigan State family."
Not only was Sadler a four-year starter, he was the first MSU athlete to earn academic All-American honors four times. Cook says that's only part of the legacy Sadler leaves behind.
"He was so funny, witty, intelligent, caring, loving--everything you want to be in a person, that was him," Cook said. "Heaven gained an angel."
