Nagged by rain, mud and mosquitoes, he hiked through woods and water with Finnerty's father, Tim.
The Denver Post reported Finnerty was briefly with the Denver Broncos the next year.
There was no obvious sign of heart trauma on Cullen Finnerty, Lake County Sheriff Robert Hilts said.
Hilts said Finnerty had called his wife Sunday and expressed concern about being out on the river.
No foul play was suspected in the 30-year-old's disappearance, the sheriff said before Finnerty's body was found.
Finnerty had led Grand Valley to more than 50 victories and three national titles, the last in 2006.
D2football.com, a website focused on Division II football, named Finnerty its player of the decade for the 2000s.
They looked in cottage windows and opened shed doors, thinking Finnerty may have twisted an ankle and sought shelter.
Mitchell said he was "crushed" by Finnerty's death, especially considering the family he left behind, a wife and two young children.
"The Grand Valley community is saddened to learn of the death of former Laker quarterback Cullen Finnerty, " the school said.
Finnerty's body later was discovered within a mile of where he disappeared.
Searchers -- including members of the Lake County Sheriff's Office, area fire departments and state police -- worked with Finnerty's family to coordinate resources.
"It's very chilling, " Kelly said Tuesday, before Finnerty's body was found.
Finnerty, a star at Brighton High School, accepted an offer to play at the University of Toledo but transferred to Grand Valley after the 2001 season.
Finnerty was married with two young children, Grand Valley State assistant football coach Jim Schaak, who was among those taking part in Tuesday's search, told WTOM.
In response, Paul Finnerty, chief executive of ABP Food Group, said the firm had "learnt important lessons" and was "determined to ensure this never happens again".
They were joined by alumni including former football players, current students and staff at Grand Valley State University, where Finnerty starred in football between 2003 and 2006.
The only solid lead on Finnerty's whereabouts had been the discovery of a small pontoon boat he had been using in Bray Creek, near the Baldwin River, Hilts said.
The searchers included current Grand Valley coach Matt Mitchell, who was a defensive coach when Finnerty played, as well as former Lakers coach Chuck Martin, now offensive coordinator at Notre Dame.
Finnerty never got into a regular season game, though -- as the Baltimore Sun reported -- he was called up from the practice squad and put on the Ravens' active roster in December 2007.
Finnerty's body was discovered Tuesday in woods in western Michigan, 65 miles north of Grand Rapids, following a search by dozens of people, including former teammates, coaches and current players at Grand Valley State University in Allendale.
Finnerty, who spent time with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, set off Sunday to fish in Lake County -- which is between Traverse City and Grand Rapids -- but hadn't been heard from since, Sheriff Robert Hilts said Tuesday.
The plot of "Lost in Yonkers" sounds like the premise for a second-rate sitcom: Eddie (Dominic Comperatore) gets into hot water with a loan shark, stows his two boys (Matthew Gumley and Russell Posner) with his gargoyle-like mother (Cynthia Harris) and goofy sister (Finnerty Steeves) and goes on the lam.
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