Titans cornerback Caleb Farley's father, killed in home explosion, pushed son's NFL dream

Tragedy has struck Tennessee Titans cornerback Caleb Farley for the second time in five years. Late Monday, his father, Robert M. Farley, died in an explosion at Caleb's North Carolina home.

Robert Farley, 61, was found dead following a suspected gas leak. The event resulted in the collapse of the 6,391-square-foot home. Another person, Christian Rogers, 25, was injured and transported to a hospital in Charlotte with non-life threatening injuries.

The explosion comes five years after Farley's mother, Robin, died from breast cancer in 2018 following a 2009 diagnosis.

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Who was Caleb Farley's father Robert?

Caleb's parents met at Maiden (North Carolina) High School where they became high school sweethearts, according to a 2018 ESPN story. He nicknamed his wife "Lovely."

"If there's anything I've experienced that's been perfect, it was the love she had for her family," Robert Farley told ESPN.

Two years after Robert and Robin Farley married, Caleb's older brother, Joshua, was born.

Caleb followed a decade later. As a kid, he kept his parents on the go. His father once said he had to keep an eye on him.

"He was determined. He's been determined for a long time," Robert Farley told ESPN.

Building a family legacy

Robin and Robert Farley named their sons after the biblical Caleb and Joshua, two Israelites among 12 who were sent by Moses to scout the Promised Land. Caleb, above all others, had the gumption to suggest taking the territory occupied by powerful giants.

Robert Farley operated a family business, Superior Barber Styling Center in Newton, North Carolina, with his younger brother, Elijah.

It may be no surprise Caleb inherited athletic traits from his father, who ran track at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina. Joshua Farley ran track at Appalachian State, where he once ran a 10.64 in the 100-meter dash.

Pushing Caleb Farley to NFL dream

When he was 6, Caleb told his father he wanted to play professional football.

But Robert Farley, a realist, challenged his son, telling him he needed to want it bad enough.

That message stuck with Caleb as he did everything he could to earn playing time as an undersized junior varsity quarterback at Maiden High School.

"He wasn't even 2 or 3 years old when I told my wife he was determined to make a mark somehow," Robert Farley told NFL.com. "I told her I hoped it would be positive more than negative, but I knew he was going to leave a mark on this world in some kind of way. And it wouldn't be a small mark. He was going to be known."

Follow reporter Craig Shoup on X @Craig_Shoup.