Major Taj Sareen died in England where his jet crashed. He ejected but did not survive.

Sareen graduated from the University of San Francisco in 2004.

"It's really a sad loss," said Chuck White, whose son was one of Sareen's best friends.

White called his son this morning to see if he had heard about Sareen's death. He said his son couldn't even speak through his tears.

"He was kind of an iconic hero for all of us. He was just a great guy," said White.

The two played tennis together at the University of San Francisco. Peter Bartlett remembers recruiting Sareen.

"He was a great teammate. He was very supportive, very respectful. He came from a good family. It's one of those things as a coach I can't ask for too much more," said Bartlett.

Assistant coach Sean Dizon played on Sareen's team. He says Sareen always thought of others.

"I had a bad car accident and he gave me a ride in the morning to practices. He always supportive teammate. We are definitely going to miss him a lot," said Dizon.

Those who knew Sareen at USF say he had a certain flair to him. Many say flying an F18 fighter jet suited his personality.

Now the tennis staff and alums plan to dig through boxes for old pictures so they can remember and grieve together.

- By Amy Hollyfield, ABC News 7