Ronald “Ronnie” Caldwell Jr

On Oct. 12th 2023 our family was crushed with the devastating news that Ronnie’s life was taken so abruptly and senselessly from gun violence while attending school in Louisiana at Northwestern State University. Ronnie touched many lives in his short time here on earth and was the heart and soul of his family. He was loved by all he came in contact with and was a family oriented man. He played on the Northwestern Football team and was a junior business administration major from Austin, Texas. Ronnie’s dedication to the community was truly inspiring, as evidenced by him spending the summer coaching a local youth baseball team, teaching those children the values of competition and sportsmanship. He was also an academic all-conference student athlete. Due to this unimaginable tragedy, we are asking for help with any donation, big or small to help family with burial costs. Anything is greatly appreciated and thank you all for your kind words and support.

“The Northwestern State family has suffered a tremendous loss,” head football coach Brad Laird said in a statement. “Ronnie Caldwell was a young man who had a bright future ahead of him on or off the football field.

“He was our voice in the locker room. When Ronnie spoke, others listened,” Laird said. “The respect our football team had for Ronnie was evident.”

Caldwell played safety for the Demons In 2022, he appeared in all 11 games, starting 10, and finished seventh on the team in tackles.

He had yet to play in a game this fall because of a preseason injury. Still, he traveled with the team, serving as a de facto defensive assistant coach and communicating with coaches up in the press box via headset during games, the university said in a statement.

University President Marcus Jones praised Caldwell's dedication.