Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski has paid an emotional tribute to the wife of defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, just hours after her tragic death at 48.
While specific details have not yet been revealed, Cristina Ulbrich’s passing comes after a battle with cancer and the news sent shockwaves around the league.
With the Falcons back for another day of training camp on Friday morning, Stefanski took his place in front of the media to make a heartbreaking first statement about the tragic circumstances.
‘It’s a difficult time for the Ulbrich family, it’s a difficult time for the Falcons family, it’s a difficult time for everybody who knew and loved Cristina,’ he began.
‘We, like any family, will support Jeff and the kids and will put our arms around him and the kids, literally and as an organization. I’ll let Jeff address you guys when the time is appropriate and he can share his thoughts.
‘We are obviously with him and the kids in the short-term and the long-term. We’ll make sure we put our arms around them. I think it’s appropriate, let’s talk football after practice. I’ll catch you guys after that. I just wanted everyone to know how we feel.
Jeff Ulbrich kisses his wife Cristina before his Jets played the Bills in October of 2024
Cristina and Jeff met in 1997 when he was on a recruiting visit to the University of Hawaii
‘It’s heartbreaking. We’ll make sure we’re a family through all this, okay?’
A mother to the couple’s three children – Samantha, Jax and Jace – Cristina was at Jeff’s side for years as he established himself as a solid NFL linebacker and, later, an assistant coach. In fact, when he first tried to break into coaching, Cristina vowed not to plan anything that could potentially conflict with his next job.
‘We’re not taking any vacations or going anywhere until he has something down,’ Cristina, then 32, told the Morgan Hill Times in 2010. ‘We know Jeff’s coaching can take us anywhere, just like with playing. I’m on board and so are the kids.’
Jeff’s transition from the field to the sideline also gave Cristina some peace of mind.
‘It’s knowing we don’t have to worry about his health anymore,’ Cristina said of her husband, who had battled concussions during his playing career.
The couple’s patience paid off in 2024, when Jeff was promoted to interim head coach of the New York Jets following Robert Saleh’s firing. A week later, a proud Cristina was pictured kissing her husband on the sideline as he prepared for his first game in charge of the team.
The following year, he agreed to become the Falcons defensive coordinator and the couple was on the move for the fifth time since his Jeff’s playing career ended in 2009.
And it was that devotion by Cristina towards Jeff that stuck out to Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who issued his own statement on Thursday.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski, pictured on Wednesday, spoke to the media after Cristina’s death
‘It was always evident how deeply Cristina loved her family and how fiercely she supported them,’ Blank said in his statement.
It’s unclear when they actually tied the knot, but the couple first got together nearly three decades ago. As The Athletic reported in 2023, Jeff met Cristina while on a recruiting trip to the University of Hawaii in 1997. Since then, they’ve maintained a private life away from the football field.
And according to Jeff’s former 49ers teammate, Takeo Spikes, she and Jeff were extremely close, particularly after the birth of their children.
‘When he got around his family it was like nothing else mattered,’ Spikes told The Athletic in 2023. ‘He didn’t care what type of day he had at the office. It was like, “I just want to make sure I’m around for them.”‘
