Pat Quinn, former Iona College rugby player and co-founder of the wildly successful Ice Bucket Challenge, has died of ALS, the disease he dedicated himself to conquering.

After being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Quinn helped start the Ice Bucket Challenge, a viral social media campaign to raise money to fight the disease. According to reports, the campaign raised over $220 million to fight ALS.

Quinn was a fixture in the Iona College rugby community. He was inducted into the Iona Rugby Hall of Fame, and also one end of the Iona rugby field was dedicated in 2018 as Quinn's Corner (see photo).

In a statement, the Greater New York ALS Chapter called Quinn a “towering figure.” Continuing, the statement said: “Pat Quinn, a fierce advocate and co-founder of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, helped change the course of the fight against ALS, raising hundreds of millions of dollars for research and giving renewed hope to patients and families worldwide. He was an inspiration to us all. While his efforts had an impact across the world, Pat was a beloved figure in our own backyard. The Greater New York ALS Community was proud to know Pat, and it was a privilege to fight by his side.”