Hawkeye Marching Band Member Passes Away Following Heat Related Cardiac Arrest at Kinnick Stadium

Saturday's season opener between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Northern Illinois Huskies was an absolute scorcher. Temperatures were in the mid-90s throughout the day with a heat index over 100. Temps on the field at Kinnick Stadium, where heat radiates off the turf, were several degrees warmer.

Throughout the game, fans were encouraged to seek shade and stay hydrated. As halftime approached, we learned that due to the heat, there would be no halftime performance by the Hawkeye Marching Band or the dance team.

Today our staff, along with many of you, is incredibly saddened to learn the absence of the halftime show was not simply a precaution. Shortly before the end of the first half, a member of the Hawkeye Marching Band suffered cardiac arrest and was taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

This morning his family reported making the difficult decision to remove life support after his brain was damaged from the incident.

His name was Derek Phillips. He was a student of the University of Iowa in his third year with the Hawkeye Marching Band. He played mellophone and was also a member of the prestigious and selective Colts Drum and Bugle Corps.

In a statement posted to social media his family expressed heartbreak while remembering fondly his love of music.

There are multiple staff members here at BHGP who are proud HMB alumni. The HMB is a special group with myriad traditions and inside jokes. It's a fraternity of sorts, a common thread that connects so many people from so many different eras. Derek was a part of that thread. He was a part of a cherished gameday tradition that brings joy and pageantry to gameday at Kinnick stadium.

We send our heartfelt condolences to all those who knew him.