Iowa Announces Tributes Honoring Marching Band Member Derek Phillips for Week 2 Game vs. ISU

The Iowa marching band will honor member Derek Phillips, who died Tuesday after collapsing during the season-opening game against Northern Illinois, during Saturday's upcoming contest against Iowa State.

The Hawkeye Marching Band announced it will honor Phillips "in several ways," including keeping the leader position of the H1 squad empty for the rest of the 2026 campaign.

The band will also spell out his name on the field at halftime and wear black ribbons in his honor. There will be a moment of silence at the game as well.

Phillips' family announced on Instagram he suffered "sudden cardiac arrest" during the game. They also said they made the "heartbreaking decision to remove" him from life support.

"Despite the extraordinary efforts of the ICU team at the University of Iowa Hospital, the damage to his brain was too severe, and we have made the heartbreaking decision to remove life support," the family said. "... Derek is comfortable, surrounded by family, and enveloped in the music he loved so much. Thank you for every prayer, every shared experience, and every bit of love you've given to our boy."

In the band's initial statement , it said, "Derek Phillips was our mellophone section leader, a beloved member of the School of Music horn studio, and the kind of friend, student, and musician that represents the very best of what it means to be a Hawkeye."

Iowa faces Iowa State on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET.