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    Former Western football standout Ramzi Al-Shurman dies in plane crash
    • May 14, 2026

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    Former Western all-league football player Ramzi Al-Shurman died in a reported small plane crash in Kern County on May 7, his father Ali Al-Shurman confirmed Wednesday.

    Al-Shurman, 28, was reportedly one of two people who died in the crash, which caused a brush fire.

    The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated Wednesday that it investigating the crash of a Cessna 182 in Ridgecrest, an area surrounded by four mountain ranges in Kern County.

    Al-Shurman resided in Anaheim and was married with three children, his father said.

    A GoFundMe has been established to help the family.

    At Western, Al-Shurman played wide receiver and defensive back. As a senior in 2015, he earned first-team All-Empire League honors and was nominated to play in the Orange County all-star football game.

    Al-Shurman played football at Golden West College in 2018 before transferring to NAIA Doane University in Nebraska.

    “Ramzi was an outstanding player and leader not only on the field but off the field,” said Western football coach Dan Davidson, who coached Al-Shurman as a junior and senior. “However, my greatest memory of Ramzi is the amazing husband, father and his walk of faith.”

    “The way he pursued his dreams of wanting to be a pilot is the way he attacked life,” the coach added. “Always all in and not allowing anything to interfere.”

    Al-Shurman and his wife Nadeen were high school sweethearts at Western, Ali Al-Shurman said.

    The father added that Al-Shurman’s sister Amira graduated from Western and his brother Waseem attends the school.

    “He loved football,” Ali Al-Shurman said of Ramzi. “He loved playing football. He loved watching football.”

    A preliminary report from the NTSB is expected within 30 days of crash. A final report is expected in one or two years and would include the probable cause of the crash along with contributing factors.

    ​ Orange County Register 

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