Someone was missing from the basketball game between Ball State and Bowling Green last night, but few fans noticed. There was a voice missing from the sideline, but not many knew why.
Ryan Wade Poe, a Ball State cheerleader, was that person, that voice. On Monday, Poe was found dead in his house in Muncie.
Poe, was a 21-year-old criminal justice major from Elwood. He participated in Children's Educational Opportunity programs and was into karate.
Friends said Poe was a quiet person until this year, when he came out of his shell and became the life of the party.
"He was one of a kind, that's for sure," said fellow cheerleader Sean Parish. "He always seemed to be happy."
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Ben Duchesne said he was one of the funniest guys on the squad.
"When I first met him, he was one of the shyest guys I knew," Duchesne said, "but he was a great guy."
Karen Cunningham has been Poe's stunting partner all year. Although she said she barely knew him last year, the pair has grown very close since.
"Only Ryan could be the way he was," Cunningham said. "He was an awesome kid.
"Every time I picture him, he is running around. When he lifted me he would bite my leg or pinch my butt, but he's the only guy you'd ever let do that. He could do it without people thinking he was perverted or sick."
The cheerleaders honored Poe and his sense of humor at Wednesday's game by writing his initials on their taped wrists. Their plans to pay their respects, though, will not end there.
Parish said the squad is planning to send money to his parents. They are also traveling to Elwood as a group tomorrow for Poe's calling and funeral.
Members of the team said they spent Tuesday's practice time reminiscing. Cunningham and others say they will remember and miss his random back tucks, karate moves and break dances.
Poe was survived by his mother, Denise Knopp; father, Greg Poe; a half-brother, Robert Poe; and grandparents, Rosa and Roy Robey.
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