Home | Search | FAQ
Displaying 1-6 of 6 messages in this thread. |
| Posted By | Discussion Topic: Northwestern starting safety dies after conditioning drills | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cluster F | posted on 08-04-2001 @ 12:12 PM |    | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Oct. 00  | This really sucks, 3rd time in a week a football player dies. He had his inhaler in his fucking hand when he died. Just sucks. Northwestern starting safety dies during drills By NANCY ARMOUR AP Sports Writer August 4, 2001 EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) -- Rashidi Wheeler, a starting safety on the Northwestern team that tied for the Big Ten championship last season, collapsed Friday during preseason conditioning drills and died shortly afterward. There was no immediate information on the cause of Wheeler's death. School officials said the 22-year-old senior had a history of asthma and had used his inhaler during practice. ``Rashidi actually had his inhaler in his hands,'' trainer Tory Aggeler said. ``That's something important -- that they have access to an inhaler in that situation.'' Wheeler's death came two days after Minnesota Vikings tackle Korey Stringer died of heatstroke following practice in stifling conditions. Wheeler's mother, Linda Will, said she had talked to him Thursday night and he told her he was feeling well. ``He was having his physical agility test today. He felt he was in tip-top shape,'' she said by telephone from her home in Ontario, Calif., as she broke down in tears. ``This is difficult for me.'' Wheeler had been struggling to catch his breath after leaving the field following the drills, said Alan Berkowsky, spokesman for the Evanston Fire Department, which sent paramedics to the scene. ``It got harder and harder for him to catch his breath and he collapsed,'' Berkowsky said. ``When the trainer got up to him, he was still trying to catch his breath. He stopped breathing and his pulse also stopped.'' He did not respond to CPR from the coaching staff or paramedics, and died about an hour later at Evanston Hospital. Northwestern said initial medical reports indicated heat did not contribute to Wheeler's death. The temperature was about 82 in the Evanston area with a heat index of 87 about the time paramedics were called to the scene. Asthma plagued Wheeler at least since high school, according to Tom Carroll, athletic director at Damien High School in La Verne, Calif., where Wheeler graduated. ``We were aware he had a problem, but we never had a situation where it took him out of practice. I never saw it bothering him,'' Carroll told the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in nearby Ontario. An autopsy was scheduled for Saturday morning, said Dan Collins, an investigator with the Cook County medical examiner's office. He refused to discuss Wheeler's medical history or whether heat played any role. ``We have no idea at this point,'' he said. A senior with a communications major, Wheeler started all 12 games last season at strong safety. He finished with 88 tackles, a fumble recovery and three pass breakups. He played in eight games as a sophomore and five games as a freshman. Wildcats coach Randy Walker said he met with the team to discuss Wheeler's death. ``We have each other, and there's a lot of love on this football team for each other,'' Walker said. ``I told them I need them now more than ever.'' Kevin Bentley, a senior linebacker also from the Los Angeles area, said he called Wheeler's parents in California to notify them of their son's death. ``There is going to be a difficulty getting over this one just because what he meant to me, not only on the field, but that he was like a brother to me,'' Bentley said. Before Northwestern, Wheeler was a star at Damien, lettering in football, track and basketball. ``He played hard, practiced hard, worked hard,'' former coach Dick Larson told the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. ``I will always remember how hard he worked, how easy he was to coach and how eager he was to learn.'' Zak Kustok, the Wildcats' starting quarterback the past two years, said the team was in shock. ``Our hearts and thoughts are with the Wheeler family,'' Kustok said. ``We are all stunned by this tragic event. It is a sad day for all of us and for the Northwestern program.'' "I firmly believe that any man's finest hour - his greatest fulfillment to all he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out, in a good cause, and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious." -Vince Lombardi "90% of baseball is mental, the other half is physical." - Yogi Berra | ||||
| Tequila Fez claims this land in the name of Portugal! Why worry about the train if it never makes it around the tracks?? IrishAlkey wuz here!!! | posted on 08-04-2001 @ 12:17 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Veteran Registered: Jan. 01 | quote: Who is the 3rd player? I know of Korey Stringer.  AOL/AIM - oanda1027fm | ||||
| Voyer bus window licker | posted on 08-04-2001 @ 1:13 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Mar. 01 | what the fuck man.. football starts in a week for me and im scared shitless... Graduated from Brokenjaw's school for newbies ages ago E-Mail Me | ||||
| mikeWOW | posted on 08-04-2001 @ 1:53 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Sep. 00 | my bro plays HS football and the coach cancelled pratice bc of the heat "i hate people that dont get it!" | ||||
| Kwyjibo | posted on 08-05-2001 @ 4:13 AM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Jan. 01 | quote: I believe it was someone on Florida State. I want to say a safety for them. I have no patience for stupid people!!  Proud graduate of the Brokenjaw school for newbies Thanks to Sephiroth for the sigpic | ||||
| Unicron | posted on 08-05-2001 @ 11:01 AM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Mar. 01 | it was a fullback for the University of Florida, the Kory Stringer, and now this gentleman. i don't know what to say...  What should i do I don't want to be sad anymore All i want is you. | ||||
Displaying 1-6 of 6 messages in this thread. |