A harrowing story is unfolding on Florida's Gold Coast at this moment... and the chances of survival for three men are shrinking.

One of four missing boaters has been rescued 38 miles west of Tampa Bay in Florida's Gulf Coast.  Nick Schuyler, a former University of South Florida football player, was found clinging to an overturned fishing boat.  Three other missing men are still including two NFL players: Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper and Detroit Lions free agent Corey Smith.

The Coast Guard says that hypothermia can set in after 18 hours in 64-degree water.  Temperatures in the Gulf Coast were in the upper 60s.

"With all of these men being past, present football players, they do have a much larger physique than a lot of people," Petty Officer Robert Simpson told the Associated Press. "So their odds are going to be definitely in their favor."

The Coast Guard said the four men embarked early Saturday morning on a 21-foot boat near Clearwater Pass. The search began early Sunday when friends and family alerted authorities that they had not returned.

Schuyler told rescuers that the boat was anchored Saturday evening when it was overturned by waves during a storm.  He said all four men were clinging to the vessel for a time.

CNN reports that rough seas and high winds are hampering the search.  Winds are between 15-20 knots and waves are up to nine feet.