Mario Danelo Mario Danelo ( July 3 , 1985 – January 6 , 2007 ) was an American college football placekicker . High school career . Danelo was an all – Los Angeles linebacker at San Pedro High School in San Pedro , California . Danelo was also a fullback and kicker at his high school . Because , at 5 ' 10 " and 200 lbs , he was undersized to be a major college linebacker , his father , former 9 - year National Football League kicker Joe Danelo , taught him the position . Danelo became the first San Pedro High Pirate to play football at the University of Southern California in 30 years . College career . Danelo was a walk - on college football player at USC in 2003 . He redshirted his first year and did not have any kick attempts in the 2004 season . He earned an athletic scholarship starting in 2005 . During the 2005 season , he set the NCAA , Pac - 10 and USC Trojans season record for hitting 83 out of 86 PAT s . In 2006 , Danelo led USC in scoring with 89 points . During the 2006 season , Danelo made 15 of 16 field - goal attempts and 44 of 48 PATs . In his final game , the 21 - year - old kicked two field goals in helping USC achieve victory in the 2007 Rose Bowl . Death and memorial . In the early morning hours of January 6 , 2007 , after partying with friends , Mario left his family ' s San Pedro home , telling his father he was going for a walk . He was found dead later that day by a passer - by at the bottom of the White Point Cliff near Point Fermin Light house , several blocks from his house . No signs of scuba gear , surfing equipment , or swimsuits were found , and his car was not in the vicinity . The police ruled out foul play as the cause of death . In front of the cliff , which he is suspected to have accidentally fallen off or jumped , there are signs forbidding entrance . Danelo ' s autopsy toxicological report found he had a 0 . 23 blood - alcohol level at the time of his death , almost three times the California legal limit to operate a vehicle on public roadways . The coroner ' s report listed the cause of death as the result of " multiple traumatic injuries ; " however the coroner could not determine how those injuries had occurred . Danelo ' s blood tested free from drugs . As of March 2007 , the manner of death was undetermined . Two thousand people attended Danelo ' s funeral at Mary Star of the Sea Catholic church as city streets in San Pedro were closed to handle traffic and four thousand mourners spilled outside of the filled church . The speakers included his older brother Joey Danelo , USC head coach Pete Carroll , and his San Pedro High coach Mike Walsh . Among the mourners were approximately 100 of his former USC teammates and coaches , including Shaun Cody , Matt Grootegoed , Fred Matua , Tom Malone , and Scott Ware . For the 2007 season , USC players wore a # 19 sticker on their helmets in honor of Danelo . In addition , the Kennedy - Jones practice field had the number " 19 " sprayed onto its end zones . The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has also put a banner above the tunnel with Danelo ' s name and the goal - post pads will pay tribute to him . Before the beginning of the 2007 opener , USC held a special ceremony with a video tribute , a moment of silence before the game , and coach Pete Carroll and Athletic Director Mike Garrett presented a jersey to Danelo ' s parents . On September 1 , 2007 , in USC ' s first game of the season against the Idaho Vandals , USC intentionally lined up for the PAT without a kicker following their first touchdown of the game , taking a 5 - yard delay of game in tribute to their late teammate . The moment was chosen by ESPN as one of the Pac - 10 ' s Top 10 Moments Of BCS Era . On December 17 , 2007 , San Pedro High School dedicated a large mural on campus to Danelo . The mural was planned and donated by a USC group and was entitled " Livin ' the Dream " by sports muralist Mike Sullivan .