Twenty-three years after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, friends and family remember countless heroes who lost their lives on the tragic day, writes Megan Magensky for CBS 21. Among them was Michael Horrocks, a quarterback who captained the West Chester University football team in the early 1980s.

Horrocks was the co-pilot of United Flight 175, which terrorists forced to crash into the World Trade Center’s second tower.

Horrocks is remembered for much more than his death. He was a football player, a Marine, a father.

“He was one of those guys that kind of got along with everybody,” said friend Doug Jones. “I don’t think he had any enemies. He was just an awesome, awesome guy.”

It took Jones weeks to find out his friend was on the second plane that crashed in Lower Manhattan.

“You really don’t believe it at first. You’re almost like in shock where it’s like is this for real?” he recalled.

Read more about Michael Horrocks at CBS 21.

Publishers Note: This post was originally published on September 11, 2021.