A tragic incident occurred at the Alamodome on Saturday night, claiming the life of a U.S. Air Force service member before the UTSA vs. Navy game in San Antonio.
Prior to the 7 p.m. CT kickoff, during a pregame demonstration for Salute to Armed Forces & Veterans Night, the service member attempted to rappel approximately 170 feet from the Alamodome’s rafters to the field. He lost control of the rope and fell onto the turf. He was removed from the field by medical personnel and transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The service member has not been publicly identified.
The American Conference also released a statement Sunday addressing the tragedy and explaining its decision to proceed with the game. According to the conference, the decision was made before Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs publicly confirmed the service member’s condition.
“All of us at the American Conference are heartbroken by the death of the U.S. Air Force service member who took part in the pregame demonstration at the Alamodome on Oct. 17. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, teammates and members of the 57th Wing who had the privilege of serving with him. We honor his service and join the military community in mourning his loss.
During the game, representatives of both participating member institutions, Alamodome management and local authorities met with American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti and a working group to review the information available and discuss next steps. At the time of those discussions, Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs had not publicly confirmed the service member’s condition.
Air Force casualty notification and information-release procedures establish safeguards for notifying families and publicly releasing casualty information. In accordance with conference bylaws and with the support of both participating member institutions, the conference made the decision to continue the game. Respect for the family’s privacy and adherence to the military’s notification process guided the decision to mitigate speculation about the service member’s medical status and avoid additional distress for his family.
Later, at 11:40 p.m. Eastern time, Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs confirmed that the service member had been injured during the pregame demonstration and transported to a local hospital, where he later died. We are grateful to the first responders and emergency personnel who provided immediate care on the field. Our hearts and prayers are with everyone impacted by this tragedy.
We know this has been difficult for everyone involved. Per Nellis Air Force Base, the details surrounding his death are under investigation, and we have been asked to respect the privacy of the airman’s family, loved ones and teammates during this difficult time.
For further inquiries regarding the service member and circumstances of the incident, please contact USAFWC.PA.PAO@us.af.mil.
For updates and resources from UTSA, please visit the news website at UT San Antonio Today.”
After the game, UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor expressed his condolences.
“What I heard happened is heartbreaking, but I want to give the family time,” Traylor said in his postgame press conference. “They’re in our prayers. It’s tragic.”
The game was delayed approximately 10 minutes following the incident. Traylor said he had limited information about what happened before kickoff.
“I didn’t know. I didn’t have any information,” Traylor said. “The only information I had was there had been an incident and the game was going to be delayed, and we didn’t expand upon it any more than that. I didn’t know if I did the right thing or not. I didn’t know anything. I didn’t know what to tell them. That’s how I handled it.”
An Alamodome crowd of 23,297 was subjected to the pregame tragedy. Traylor said the incident had a notable effect on the atmosphere.
“There was something — you could just tell the energy was just gone,” Traylor said. “I’ve never had to deal with anything like that before. It just puts things into perspective. It really does.”
Underdog Dynasty extends its deepest condolences to the service member’s family, friends, fellow service members, and all those affected by this tragedy.