For longtime members of the Buford community, the loss this week feels heartbreakingly familiar.
Josh Cardiello, a former standout offensive lineman at Buford High School, died Monday after suffering heart-related complications during a recreational basketball game with friends, according to former coaches. He was 30.
Cardiello is survived by his wife, Allison (Frazier) Cardiello, also a Buford graduate, and their young daughter, Amelia.
His death has drawn painful comparisons to January 2012, when former Buford lineman Ryan Daniel died of a heart attack while playing early-morning basketball at the school. Daniel, who was also 30 at the time, was serving as an assistant football coach. One of the senior players on that team was Cardiello, whose group later rallied to win a state championship in Daniel’s memory.
Cardiello’s passing marks the second heart-related tragedy in his immediate family. His younger brother, Jake Cardiello, a former Buford football player, died in 2021 at age 23.
Buford head football coach Bryant Appling said the losses have left a lasting impact on the program and the community.
Josh Cardiello was remembered as both a dominant presence on the field and a steady, well-liked teammate off it. Prior to his senior season, he was selected as a Gwinnett Daily Post Super Six preseason honoree, recognizing him as one of the county’s top players.
He went on to serve as a team captain during Buford’s 2012 state championship run, a season marked by grief and resilience following Daniel’s death.
“Josh was a fun-loving kid, always in a good mood,” Appling said. “Not loud, but always smiling and joking around. His teammates loved him. That group was special, and he was one of the ring leaders. We had a lot of adversity that year, and winning that state title meant everything.”
A three-time state champion at Buford, Cardiello signed with the University of Georgia as an offensive lineman before transferring to Tennessee at Chattanooga ahead of the 2015 season. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound lineman started 37 games over his final three seasons, playing center, guard and tackle. He earned All-Southern Conference honors twice and later participated in a rookie minicamp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After his playing career, Cardiello returned to the area, where he worked for Amgen Pharmaceuticals.
In a social media post, Allison Cardiello described the moment her husband died.
“On Monday morning at 6:25 a.m., I held my best friend’s hand while an ER doctor called his time of death,” she wrote. “I’m still in shock — numb, sad, angry and in disbelief. Losing Josh has been the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. All I can think about is what Amelia’s future will look like.”
She also thanked the community for its support, adding that her daughter “will always know who her dad is.”
Visitation is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 9, from 6 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, Jan. 10, from noon to 2 p.m., at First Baptist Church of Buford. A funeral service will follow at 2 p.m. Saturday.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to WhoWePlayFor.org, a nonprofit that provides heart screenings and automated external defibrillators to help prevent sudden cardiac death in young people. Cardiello became involved with the organization following his brother’s death.
