eSports Team Mourns Loss of Senior Jonathan Suarez After Winning Two Championships

This was an unprecedented season for the UNT Dallas eSports program. In early December 2025, the highly competitive group of gamers won two championships: the NACE Smash Bros competition and the NECC Marvel Rivals contest.

The Varsity Marvel Rivals team went undefeated with a record of 10-0, finishing the season with a victory over Paradise Village Community College in Phoenix. The Varsity Smash Bros team brought home the first Smash Bros title in university history.

“It was really hype, really exciting,” said Caleb Simmons, Assistant Director of eSports. The players will celebrate at a dinner in January. And championship banners will be displayed in the Student Center.

The eSports program has support at the highest level of the university. President Warren von Eschenbach gave Simmons a high-five at last week’s Cord and Ring Ceremony. “He’s really supportive,” Simmons said. “The President knows how well eSports can recruit,” Simmons said, referring to the power of the program to attract prospective students to enroll at UNT Dallas.

Celebration and Sadness

But the exhilaration of two wins – and the attention they draw – was accompanied by a deep sense of loss. Just days after the Smash Bros win and days before the Marvel Rivals championship match, fellow student and eSports program member Jonathan Pablo Suarez died in a car accident not far from the campus.

About 3 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, Suarez's Jeep swerved on Camp Wisdom Road, crashed through an overpass barrier and fell upside down onto I-35 below. “It’s been a lot,” Simmons said, about the grief the team has endured and the strength required to compete so soon after Suarez's sudden death.

Suarez, 26, was known as “Spydi” to his teammates. He was the team's Call of Duty champion two years in a row (2023, 2024) when they won divisional championships. More than a classmate and competitor, Suarez was a friend, known for his positive attitude, outgoing personality and sense of humor. “He was a funny guy. He always brings comic relief, even if we’re losing,” said Simmons. “He knew more about the game than anyone. He would lead our video reviews (of matches) and talk about the best routes and roles.”

Aspiring Educator

Suarez was majoring in education and about to begin clinicals, where he would be placed inside Dallas ISD classrooms to shadow teachers and observe teaching techniques. He was set to graduate in May 2026.

Suarez transferred to UNT Dallas after two years at TCU, where he received a full-ride academic scholarship after graduating with honors from Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy in Dallas. His UNT Dallas instructors believe Suarez would have made an excellent teacher. 

"What saddens me most is knowing that, because of teacher he was going to be, our community has suffered a profound loss," said Dr. Christina Salazar, a lecturer in the School of Education. She knew Suarez well, having taught several of his courses over multiple semesters. "He was preparing to serve with dedication and compassion. In losing him, we’ve lost a part of our future, one that would have been better because he was in it."

A celebration of Suarez’s life will be held Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, at 2 p.m. at Byrum Funeral Home Chapel in Lancaster. His fellow eSports team members, classmates and university representatatives will attend to honor Suarez's memory and support his family. Trees may be planted in tribute to Suarez by visiting the Sympathy Store.

As the year comes to a close, it does so with a mix of emotions for a close-knit group of students who bonded over their love of gaming. It is that love that will empower them to successfully compete in future years, knowing "Spydi" will be looking down - smiling with joy and cheering them on to even more victories.