“Everybody’s on a time limit. Death is undefeated. But the way I look at it, I’ll take it to three overtimes.” Those were the powerful words of Houston Cougars’ strength and conditioning coach Kurt Hester, a man who turned defiance into a way of life. Hester was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma back in February 2025.

He sat stone-faced as the oncologist told him he had just weeks to live and barely a 20% chance of survival. But true to his nature, Hester lived every bit of those words. For more than half a year, he fought the hardest battle of his life, showed tremendous strength, and set an example for his 18- and 20-year-old players.

Sadly, Hester’s incredible fight came to an end on Saturday, October 25, as the Cougars’ beloved strength and conditioning coach passed away at the age of 61. Following the tragic news, Patrick Mahomes‘ personal trainer, Bobby Stroupe, took to his Instagram handle to pay tribute to Hester.

“We lost a good one,” Stroupe wrote in his IG story. “Thank you, Kurt, for a lifetime of impact and a profession that will forever be different because of you. Get those angels right. See you on the other side my brother.”

Born in 1963, Hester earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Physiology from Tulane University in 1995. Soon after, he began building a long and impactful career in strength and performance coaching across multiple programs.

To start with, Hester served as the assistant strength coach at Louisiana State University (LSU) from 1995 to 1998. During his time there, he worked with the LSU baseball team and helped them win two national championships under legendary coach Skip Bertman.

Following his stint at LSU, Hester took on a new challenge as Owner and Director of Performance at HS2 Athletic Performance in Mandeville, Louisiana, from 1997 to 2008. There, he oversaw the training of hundreds of high school athletes daily, many of whom later advanced to college or NFL careers.

After spending over a decade in Mandeville, Hester joined Louisiana Tech. There, he worked with elite athletes across the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and more. Following his nine-year tenure at Louisiana Tech, Hester was hired by Willie Fritz at Tulane in 2022. And when Fritz later joined the Cougars as head coach in December 2023, he brought Hester with him.

“Kurt Hester was an unbelievably important person in our football program, and I’ve been with him for a while,” Fritz said after Hester’s demise. “He’s the best strength and conditioning coach I’ve ever been around but more importantly just a really, really fantastic role model for our student-athletes.” The 61-year-old was in his second year as Houston’s strength and conditioning coach at the time of his passing.

Kurt Hester’s battle against cancer

Bobby Stroupe has been in the business for decades. He’s been training Patrick Mahomes since the Kansas City Chiefs‘ quarterback was in fourth grade. No wonder Stroupe couldn’t hide his emotion when Kurt Hester, who was “the best strength and conditioning coach” per Willie Fritz, lost the cancer battle at age 61.

Hester was at a football clinic at University of Kansas in late February when he first sensed something was off. He was unusually fatigued, his stomach constantly hurt, and he couldn’t explain the weight he was losing. He kept burping, trying to shrug it off, but the discomfort grew unbearable.

A few days later, while coaching an early morning weightlifting session, he felt his seventh rib dislocate, something which had happened before. “It just pops out,” he said, casually. “I usually just pop it back in. I couldn’t get it to pop back into place this time.” Helpless Hester then asked assistant athletic trainer Sam Roth for help, but instead of relief, there was a crack.

However, when he went for further evaluation, scans revealed a mass on his lung and several spots on his liver. “I was told you need to go home and make peace with your family and friends, make sure your will is in order, and call hospice,” Hester said after the diagnosis. The doctors admitted that Kurt Hester had just a few weeks, but as the 61-year-old said, “Death is undefeated,” Hester battled his illness like a warrior.