ORANGEBURG, SC – South Carolina State is mourning the passing of three former football players in a six-day span, including a recent graduate.

Defensive end Nathaniel Wilcox of Miami, FL, and a May 2024 graduate, passed away July 9 in a Ft. Myers, FL hospital, following a firefighter's training session.

Bulldog Hall of Fame running back (1965-1968) and National Football League (NFL) performer Benjamin "Bennie" Blocker, a Lancaster, SC native, died July 13, at his Columbia, SC home, following a short illness.

Orangeburg native Malcolm Montgomery, a three-time All-MEAC placekicker during his playing days at SC State (1976-79), died at home on Sunday, July 14.

A Celebration of Life for Wilcox will be held Saturday, July 20, at 1 p.m. at Kingdom Covenant Ministries (10300 SW 162nd Street) in Miami, Florida.

The funeral service for Blocker has been set for Sunday, July 21, at 1 p.m. at Leevy's Funeral Home, 1831 Taylor Street, Columbia, SC.

Greater Orangeburg Funeral Home of Orangeburg is in charge of arrangements for Montgomery, whose funeral is scheduled for Sunday, July 28, 1 p.m. at the House of Praise Non-Denominational Church of Deliverance, 1660 Joe S. Jeffords Hwy., Orangeburg, SC