Gophers athletics sets up Gary Tinsley Memorial Fund

The University of Minnesota’s athletics department announced Monday the creation of the Gary Tinsley Memorial Fund.

As part of the Gopher Athletics’ Golden Gopher Fund, the memorial fund will help cover funeral expenses as well as travel costs for the football team to attend Tinsley’s funeral in his native Florida on Saturday.

Tinsley was found dead Friday morning in his Roy Wilkins Hall dorm room. A roommate found him unresponsive in his bed and called police.

University police Chief Greg Hestness said there were no signs of foul play, and the case is being treated as a “suspicious death,” but “really, we’re waiting for the medical examiner to tell us what they’ve found.”

Tinsley finished his fourth season with the Gophers last fall and was less than a month away from earning his bachelor’s degree in business and marketing education. He will be awarded the degree posthumously.

A four-year letter winner for the Gophers, Tinsley anchored the defense at middle linebacker every game in his last two seasons.

In his final season last fall, he recorded 87 tackles, the second-most on the team.