University of Iowa band member Derek Phillips has been taken off life support after collapsing Saturday during the season-opening football game against Northern Illinois, according to a message posted to his Instagram account by his family.
Phillips, a third-year student from Dubuque, Iowa, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest shortly before the band was set to perform its halftime show. He was taken to nearby University of Iowa hospital, but the family said in the post that "the damage to his brain was too severe, and we have made the heartbreaking decision to remove life support."
Temperatures rose to 94 degrees Saturday in Iowa City, and Iowa had adjusted the start times for several athletic events during the weekend because of forecasted high temperatures. The football game kicked off as scheduled with a game-time temperature of 90 degrees.
The Iowa marching band did not perform its halftime show, posting on X that "due to the heat, HMB will forego our halftime performance today" in the interest of the health and safety of students, staff and fans.
Phillips played horn in the band and studied business analytics and information systems at Iowa. His family described him in the Instagram post as a "phenomenal musician -- whether he was playing jazz, singing his heart out, or marching under the lights, music was the language of his soul." The university said in a statement that it is in close contact with his family and offering support.
