Former Ohio State wide receiver Dimitrious Stanley, 48, died after a battle with prostate cancer. His death was announced Thursday by Mike Picetti, his former high school football coach.

Stanley played 4 years for the Buckeyes, and he was the team's leading receiver in the 1996 season when he caught 43 passes for 829 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Former Buckeye receiver Dee Miller was a former teammate and friend of Stanley. He described Stanley's illness and subsequent death as heartbreaking.

“It was remarkable to see how he handled things after being diagnosed, the way he fought, and the way he still tried to live his life and be around for his family,” Miller said. “Selfishly, we're all going to miss him physically, but we didn't want him to continue to suffer the way he was.”

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During his career, Stanley caught 63 passes for 1,136 yards and 13 touchdowns throughout his career. His last game was perhaps his most notable.

He played a huge role for the Buckeyes in a memorable Rose Bowl victory over Arizona State. Stanley helped Ohio State to its first triumph in the “grand-daddy of them all” in 23 years. He caught a 72-yard touchdown from Joe Germaine late in the third quarter of the 20-17 win over the Sun Devils. Stanley did not stop there, as he also caught two third-down passes that kept Ohio State's game-winning drive alive late in the fourth quarter.

After his college career came to an end, Dimitrious Stanley played professional football in the Canadian Football League and he also had a stint in the Arena Football League.