Stenstrom’s Brother Dies Suddenly

ITHACA, N.Y. — Jeff Stenstrom, brother of Stanford quarterback Steve Stenstrom, died Monday, four days after contracting a highly infectious bacterial disease.

The younger Stenstrom, 19, died of meningococcal meningitis a day after what would normally have been a happy occasion for his family--Steve’s selection in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

But the Stenstroms instead spent the weekend at Ithaca’s Tompkins Community Hospital, where Jeff, a freshman football player at Cornell, was taken last Thursday after complaining of a headache. He was pronounced dead Monday morning.

Mike Milner, who coached Jeff for three years at El Toro High, said the loss was difficult to accept, adding: “He was a great kid. He was very conscientious, a very hard worker. He was the first guy in the weight room, the last guy out. He was very intelligent and had a bright future ahead of him.”

Stenstrom played three years at El Toro. As a senior in 1993, he was the school’s defensive player of the year and an All-South Coast League selection as a linebacker.

He was a reserve linebacker at Cornell, playing on special teams.

More than 200 of Stenstrom’s friends, fraternity brothers and football teammates have been immunized. Meningitis is an illness caused by a bacterial infection of the bloodstream and brain lining. It is most commonly spread through close personal contact, such as kissing or sharing eating utensils.

* Times staff writer Jason Reid and Orange County Sports Editor Craig Stanke contributed to this report.