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CLEARWATER, FL -- The Coast Guard on Monday narrowed the search area for three men missing since a weekend fishing trip off the Florida Gulf Coast after crews rescued a fourth man clinging to their capsized boat.
He's identified as former USF football player Nick Schuyler. He was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital where he's listed in serious condition.
Three others, Including two ex-Buccaneers and another former USF player are still missing. Schuyler was pulled from the water about 39 miles west-southwest of John's Pass.
The report of his rescue came in around noontime.
The Coast Guard spent Sunday night and Monday morning searching a wide area for a 21-foot vessel carrying Schuyler, Corey Smith, who is a Detroit Lions free-agent defensive end, and Marquis Cooper, an Oakland Raiders linebacker. Will Bleakley, another former University of South Florida player, was also aboard.
The search continues for the other three missing men.
Schuyler was able to tell his rescuers that their boat was anchored when heavy seas caused it to flip over Saturday evening. He said all four men were able to stay together for some time.
He was unsure how they became separated. Schuyler said he was wearing a life jacket, but couldn't remember if his companions were wearing theirs.
The Coast Guard wouldn't speculate on the men's chances of survival, but Petty Officer Robert Simpson said their size and good health were advantaged. Cooper, 26, is 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, and the 29-year-old Smith is 6-foot-2, 250 pounds. The 25-year-old Bleakley had played tight end.
"With all of these men being past, present football players, they do have a much larger physique than a lot of people," he said. "So their odds are going to be definitely in their favor."
Schuyler was conscious but appeared weak as he was being taken off a helicopter at Tampa General Hospital and placed on a stretcher. His father said his son was in serious but stable condition and that he "looks OK."
"He's got some cuts and bruises. He's dehydrated," said Stuart Schuyler.
Schuyler's mother, Marsha Schuyler, said her son told her that he survived by thinking about how he didn't want her to go to his funeral.
The family's joy at him being found alive was tempered by the search for his friends.
"We still have three men missing, and we're not going to talk too much until we find these guys," said his father, Stuart Schuyler. "We're all praying for them. These guys are all very close friends."
A Coast Guard spokesman says the fact that the boat was anchored, and the men were together for a while is significant, as it allows search teams to greatly reduce their search area. The original search area was some 61,00 square miles.
The boat was reported missing Sunday, one day after it left Clearwater Pass and did not return as expected Saturday evening as the weather became increasingly rough, with heavy winds and high seas.
Coast Guard Captain Timothy M. Close said there was no communication with the men even before the weather started to pick up and no SOS call was received.
"That's not to say they didn't send one out," he said. "We didn't receive anything."
The Coast Guard used a helicopter and an 87-foot ship to search a 750-square mile area west of Clearwater Pass, but poor weather on Sunday made the search difficult.
Cooper owns the boat and he and Smith have been on fishing trips before, said Ron Del Duca, Smith's agent. The pair had been teammates on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004.
Bad weather could be dangerous for a boat the size of Cooper's. The weather early Saturday had been fair, but worsened toward the evening as a front still battering the area moved in. The National Weather Service said seas were about 2 to 4 feet Saturday morning and increased to 3 to 5 feet in the afternoon. Late Saturday night, a small craft advisory was issued, when winds were around 20 knots and seas were up to 7 feet or more. There were no thunderstorms in the area.
Danielle Mayes, owner of Jaxson's Bait House near the ramp where the men departed, said many of the boaters who returned Saturday evening said they were surprised the water had gotten so rough.
Smith, 29, had 30 tackles, including three sacks, and an interception in 12 games last season for the winless Lions. Smith, who is 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, also played for the San Francisco 49ers and played college ball at North Carolina State. He lives in Richmond, Va.
Del Duca said Smith is one of the "good guys" of the league and was planning to start visiting teams as a free agent this week. He said he has spoken with Smith's family and is also in touch with Coast Guard officials.
"They've assured me that they're deploying all available resources to look for these guys and get them back," he said.
Cooper, 26, has played five seasons with the Buccaneers, Seahawks, Jaguars, Steelers and Raiders. He appeared in 26 games with the Buccaneers in 2004 and 2005, recording 30 tackles. He has played sparingly since as he has bounced between teams, appearing in 13 games and recording 10 tackles. Cooper, who is 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, played college ball at Washington. He grew up in Gilbert, Ariz., and his father Bruce is a prominent sportscaster for KPNX-TV in Phoenix.
Cooper told The Seattle Times in 2002 that one reason he chose Washington was the abundant fishing.
"I like fighting the fish," Cooper told the newspaper. "And just relaxing out there and being alone and being outside."
Bruce Cooper described his son as an avid fisherman who goes deep sea fishing "any opportunity he gets." The two went deep sea fishing together two years ago.
"I swore I would never do so again," Cooper said in a statement. "I didn't like the fact that I couldn't see land. Needless to say I am very concerned. I am praying and hoping for the best."
Stu Schuyler, Nick's father, said his son had gone fishing with the same group of friends last weekend, apparently en route to a shipwreck about 50 miles offshore where fish are abundant. He said he left his son a message on his cell phone Saturday morning, asking him not to stay out too late because of the approaching storm.
"I'm optimistic," Schuyler said. "But I'm also realistic."
Lions spokesman Bill Keenist and Raiders senior executive John Hererra said the teams are monitoring reports. Both teams issued statements saying their thoughts and prayers are with the families of all the missing men and those involved in the search.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
