LEEInks » Arkansas shocked by death of tight end Garrett Uekman
LEEINKS
Search
gdfgdfg
WEEI.com Blog Network
Arkansas shocked by death of tight end Garrett Uekman 11.21.11 at 10:45 am ET
By Arielle Aronson

Garrett Uekman died from unknown causes Sunday. (AP)

The No. 3 University of Arkansas football team was stunned by the death of 19-year-old redshirt freshman Garrett Uekman Sunday, just one day after the Razorbacks topped Mississippi State, 44-17.

Uekman, a 6-foot-4, 254-pound backup tight end, was found unconscious in his dorm room by a teammate at 11:15 a.m. on Sunday. He was in cardiac arrest when emergency services personnel arrived and was pronounced dead at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Ark., at 12:10 p.m.

Uekman was seen playing video games an hour before he was found unconscious. University police lieutenant Mat Mills said Uekman’s body will be sent to the state medical examiner for an autopsy. There were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Uekman’s death.

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino spoke to the media Sunday night as he fought back tears while addressing Uekman’s death.

“Garrett Uekman was a special member of our family, and we are all saddened by his passing,” Petrino said. “His loss is a terrible shock, and it makes you realize how precious life is.”

University athletic director Jeff Long said the school had no knowledge of any preexisting medical condition that could have caused Uekman’s death. He also said the school will hold a candlelight vigil Monday night in honor of Uekman, whose parents said they wanted the team to play Friday night’s game at No. 1 LSU despite Sunday’s tragedy.

Read More: Bobby Petrino, Garrett Uekman, Rumor Mill, Print  |  Email  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It

Leave a Reply