Rick Forney was sound asleep in the bedroom of his Walkersville home moments before his world came crashing down.
Erika Forney had come upstairs to wake her husband and tell him the toughest news imaginable.
“Our worst nightmare has come true,” she said.
Rick Forney’s mind immediately thought of his youngest child Erik, who has cerebral palsy and only one day beforehand had returned home after undergoing surgery to straighten his legs.
“Did something happen to Erik?” Rick asked his wife.
“No, David,” Erika responded.
Rick Forney was stunned into total disbelief to learn it was his son David. What in the world could have befallen their oldest child who was a senior at the Naval Academy?
David Forney had recently completed a decorated career with the Navy football program and was preparing to audition for professional scouts. The standout offensive lineman was the absolute epitome of power and strength – a 6-foot-3, 300-pound behemoth.
David Forney, who was a member of the 9th Company, was on the way to graduating from the academy with a political science degree. The 22-year-old was eagerly looking forward to a spring break cruise with his longtime girlfriend, prompting family and friends to guess he might pop the question to Carlie Petrosky.
None of those things will happen now. Naval Academy officials said David Forney died on Thursday night after he was found unresponsive in his dormitory room at Bancroft Hall.
On Saturday, Rick Forney choked back tears and his voice filled with emotion as he talked about the sudden loss of his son.
“This just isn’t right. That kid had the whole world in front of him,” he said. “David is so damn smart and talented. He could have done whatever he wanted. We couldn’t be any prouder of that boy.”
David Forney had followed his usual routine returning to his dorm room following a long day at the Naval Academy and joining friends for a video game session. He played Call of Duty online with his 19-year-old brother Chris and fellow football player Kendel Wright.
“Around 9:30, David said ‘I’ve got to go, let’s play tomorrow.’ He told Chris he would text tomorrow night when it was time to get on the game,” Rick Forney said. “Obviously, there was no tomorrow for David. I’m guessing he stopped playing because he had homework to do. God only knows what happened next.”
Forney’s two roommates, who he had throughout his time at the Naval Academy, discovered the massive senior slumped at his desk. One of the roommates was certified in CPR and administered resuscitation efforts at the recommendation of first responders en route to Bancroft Hall.
Emergency services transported Forney to Anne Arundel Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 11:28 p.m. Shortly thereafter, Erika Forney received the phone call every parent dreads with one of the Navy football team doctors delivering the news of her son’s passing.
“We’re struggling right now, as you can imagine any parents would be that just lost their child,” Rick Forney told The Capital on Saturday afternoon. “We’re trying to go about our business as though David were still here because he is still here in spirit.
“We’re going to honor him and love him every day and try to get back to normal as soon as possible, which isn’t going to be easy,” Rick added. “I think we’re up to the challenge. We have to be strong because we have three other kids we need to love, nurture and take care of.”
David Forney’s body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy to determine cause of death. Rick Forney suspects a sudden, massive heart attack, but said the medical examiner must rule out other potential causes first.
“To be honest with you, I don’t care what those results are. It’s not going to change our reality,” he said.
In addition to his parents, Forney is survived by three younger siblings. Chris is a student at Frederick Community College, while 16-year-old Rebekah is a sophomore at Mount de Sales Academy in Baltimore.
“Rebekah had just started lacrosse tryouts and we had to tell her coaches she’s going to miss some practice time,” Rick Forney lamented. “I’ve got to get this young lady out of the house and back doing what she loves because that is what David would want her to be doing.”
Dominating senior season
Forney was a key figure along the offensive line for three seasons, snatching the starting spot at left guard away from a senior as a sophomore and ultimately appearing in 39 career games.
Teammates and coaches have said Forney was on a mission throughout his senior season. Running game coordinator Ashley Ingram, who personally tutors the guards, said Forney played “the best football of his career, by far” during the 2019 campaign. Testament to that came from Forney being named first team All-American Athletic Conference.
Forney’s dominance in the trenches and ability to help open gaping holes inside was a big reason why Navy led the nation in rushing on the way to a remarkable bounce-back season. One year after finishing 3-10, Navy posted a final record of 11-2 — beating service academy rivals Air Force and Army to capture the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy then defeating Kansas State to secure the Liberty Bowl championship.
“We wouldn’t have accomplished what we did this season without David Forney. He made a conscious decision to be a leader on that team and worked at it every day,” said Wright, who was Navy’s starting left tackle. “Dave was always the ultimate team player. His leadership and confidence trickled down to whole team.”
Forney was well-liked by every member of the Navy football team and was especially close with his fellow seniors. However, Wright was without question Forney’s closest friend as the two developed a strong bond while attending the Naval Academy Prep School.
Forney and Wright had first connected as seniors in high school while both were being recruited to the Naval Academy. Wright, who hails from Buford, Georgia, has a cousin who lives in the same neighborhood of Walkersville as the Forney family.
“Our first interaction was on Twitter after David sent me a direct message because he saw me posting about visiting my cousin in Walkersville,” Wright said.
Upon arrival at NAPS in Newport, Rhode Island, the two offensive linemen immediately hit it off because they have similar personalities.
“David and I were so much alike. We were almost the same type of person, kind of like twins,” Wright said.
Wright has spent most of the last two days holed up in his room at Bancroft Hall, just contemplating Forney’s death and trying to somehow come to grips with it.
“It doesn’t seem real. I still can’t wrap my head around it,” Wright said. “I think about all the fun we had, all the happy times and smile to myself. Then it slips and there are waves of sadness. All I have are memories now.”
Somber, emotional gathering
Navy’s annual football banquet, which had been scheduled for Friday night at Alumni Hall, was postponed. Instead, players and many of their parents who had come into town for the banquet gathered with members of the coaching staff for a somber and emotional team dinner.
There were a lot of hugs and tears as members of the Navy football family consoled one another, but there was also laughter as teammates told stories about Forney or remembered things he used to do.
Slotback Myles Fells would later post to Twitter that Forney always used the elevator to get from the basement of Ricketts Hall to the football offices on the third floor. “Big Maryland did not do steps,” said Fells, using a nickname some of the Navy football players bestowed on Forney.
Wright, who is quiet and reserved, stepped out of character by standing up and speaking about Forney during Friday night’s dinner.
“I really don’t remember what I said. I just spoke from the heart. I just felt like I needed to say something. If I didn’t, I would have regretted it,” Wright said during a telephone interview on Saturday afternoon. “I had to get out there about the type of person David was. I want people to know he was a genuine guy. You knew David would have your back no matter what.”
Rick Forney attended the Friday night dinner and seemingly spent more time consoling others than being consoled himself. He has paid particular attention to Wright, calling or texting regularly to make sure his son’s best friend is OK.
“I’m staying in close contact with David’s dad and we’re going to help each other through this,” Wright said. “It’s been amazing to me how Rick has been so concerned with how I’m doing. I don’t understand how he does it when I know his heart has been ripped apart.”
On Friday night, Rick Forney pulled aside star quarterback Malcolm Perry for a few words. Perry enjoyed a remarkable senior season, setting the Football Bowl Subdivision record for rushing yards by a quarterback while shattering the Navy single-season mark in that category.
“I just wanted Malcolm to know how much David enjoyed blocking for him. It really meant a lot to David that Malcolm had such a great season running the ball. He took great pride in that,” he said.
Sophomore fullback Jamale Carothers also had a huge season, gaining big yardage and scoring numerous touchdowns off a trap play on which Forney was one of the key blockers. Ingram would reveal later that Forney played through a lot of pain for most of the season due to nagging injuries.
“No matter how much David’s neck or shoulders were hurting, when they called that trap play and he had to be the guy pulling, he gave up his body for his team every time,” Rick Forney said. “That’s the toughest kid I know.”
David Forney had been preparing for the Navy football “Pro Day” that is being held on March 26. He had shed 17 pounds and gotten down to 298 in order to be better prepared for the agility drills that visiting NFL scouts would put the players through.
Most Navy football linemen must lose considerable weight after their senior seasons are complete. Forney and senior nose guard Jackson Pittman had received waivers allowing them to maintain their weight for the purpose of pursuing professional football.
“All David was doing during the spring semester was going to school, getting ready for that pro day and being a good friend to everybody,” Rick Forney said. “David was home last weekend and looked great, lean and mean. There’s no doubt in my mind David could play in the NFL. That kid was such a smart, savvy football player.”
Rick Forney, a graduate of Annapolis High and Anne Arundel Community College, played 10 seasons of professional baseball in the Baltimore Orioles organization. The 48-year-old is about to begin his 15th season as manager of the Winnipeg Goldeyes, an independent team in the American Association.
Forney has described his wife as the “rock of the family,” and credits her for the fact their oldest son was going to be a Naval Academy graduate and commissioned officer.
“A lot of people think David’s success was because of me and that has never been true. It had nothing to do with me,” Rick Forney said. “It was that lady who poured her heart and soul into that baby for 22 years. Erika taught David how to be independent and to handle himself.”
Rick Forney’s best buddy from growing up in Annapolis is Frankie Orange, a well-known Annapolis tattoo artist. The owner of Orange Tattoo on West Street is David Forney’s godfather and they were extremely close.
Frankie Orange had designed dozens of tattoos that covered his godson’s arms, legs and chest. David Forney’s favorite tattoo was of a giant elephant because they are known to be caring, form lifelong bonds and are fiercely protective of family.
Frankie Orange informed Rick Forney on Friday that his son was scheduled to come into the shop next month to get a new tattoo. David Forney wanted to surround the large elephant with several smaller animals representing his siblings and others he cared for.
“It made perfect sense because David was everybody’s protector,” Rick Forney said.
