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Originally Posted by wisref2
One high school player has already died this year during practice in the heat (it happened on 7/31 or 8/1 down south).
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http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/spo...2rockdale.html
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/02/06
There was supposed to be one last voluntary workout for the Rockdale County High School football team. Wind sprints, maybe some pass patterns — a bit of final conditioning before football practices started for real Wednesday.
But Robert J. Reid Memorial Stadium was empty Tuesday afternoon. Practice was canceled, and there was no word on when it would start again.
Tyler Davis, a 15-year-old Rockdale County football player, collapsed between 5 and 6 p.m. on his way to the locker room after practicing Monday.
He died early Tuesday at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. The cause of death was heat stroke, according to Dr. Stephen Boyle, the Rockdale County coroner.
Shawn Loughry, a sophomore at the school, was sitting in economics class when he heard the first-period announcement asking for a moment of silence. He immediately thought of Tyler's family.
Senior Jarod Berry said his Spanish teacher told the class after the announcement that Tyler was the best student she had.
"A majority of the football players were in shock," Berry said. "It's a big loss for the team."
Tyler's family declined to comment, said James Ginn, a spokesman for Rockdale County Schools. Ginn gave details of Tyler's Monday collapse as relayed through the football coaches.
"He walked off the field on his own power, then collapsed on his way to the locker room," Ginn said. "That's when they called 911."
According to Georgia High School Association rules, teams can start mandatory football practices in shorts today, nearly two weeks later than when practices started last year. The GHSA moved back the start of the season, and the opening of fall practices, because of heat concerns, said GHSA assistant executive director Gary Phillips.
Phillips said he planned to speak with Ralph Swearngin, the GHSA executive director, about the possibility of the association regulating practices in high temperatures.
Ginn said Rockdale's practice Monday consisted of passing drills, and the players weren't wearing football pads. He said the county will investigate the death and the school's policies of practicing in heat. Highs Monday were in the mid-90s.
Head coach Lee Carter was distraught and said he wasn't doing well when reached on his cellphone on Tuesday. Carter declined to comment on Tyler's death, referring all inquiries to Ginn, who spoke on behalf of the school and family.
At the request of Tyler's parents, the school, coaches and players declined to comment.
Carter reached out to friends for support, such as Southwest DeKalb coach Buck Godfrey. Carter was an assistant on Godfrey's state champion team in 1995.
"All I told him is that I'm his friend, and if he needs to go for a long ride in the country, I'm available. I'm there for him," Godfrey said. "I think [Carter] is going to need some time alone to think things out.
"This isn't something you can just shrug your shoulders at. This is something that you work out yourself between you and God."
Tracy Faulkner, whose son Chris Smith is a freshman on the Rockdale County football team, heard from her husband about Tyler's death. She immediately wanted more details on the conditions of the practice and hopes there will be a meeting to discuss what happened.
"Were they training? Was it too hot outside? Were they practicing too long?' That's what was going through my head," Faulkner said.
She said her son is an experienced football player, and she constantly reminds him to drink water, but Boyle, the coroner, warned that heatstroke is something parents and coaches rarely see coming.
Boyle estimated that Tyler was over 6 feet tall and nearly 300 pounds.
"It really just is a bad accident. It's not common, but it sort of happens out of the blue," Boyle said. "It can happen to little skinny kids as well as big guys."
Tyler is the second football player to die while playing for Carter. In 1997 while Carter was the head coach at Towers High in DeKalb County, Vinson Freeman Jr., a sophomore, had a violent seizure and collapsed on the field while running wind sprints during practice. A nurse performed CPR. Temperatures were in the low 70s, and heat was not believed to be a factor.
"It's a helluva responsibility being a football coach," said Godfrey. "The parents put their trust in you with their kids. ... You become their parents during that time. And when you lose one, it's just awful."