A McCormick junior died early Sunday due to a pre-existing heart condition after rushing the football field to celebrate Northwestern’s win over Ohio State.
Frederick Lieb, 20, nicknamed Rick, from Crestview, Fla., waspronounced dead at Evanston Hospital at 12:35 a.m., policesaid.
According to a statement by Evanston Police Department releasedSunday, Lieb collapsed shortly before midnight in the northwestcorner of the stadium after running down from the upper deck ofRyan Field.
Lieb, who had a pacemaker, complained to a friend that he feltshort of breath immediately before he collapsed, according tostatements from the university and EPD.
He received CPR from security personnel and a doctor and wastaken to Evanston Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Lieb, a chemical engineering major, died of hypertensivecardiovascular disease, said an official from the Cook CountyMedical Examiner’s office.
“Our condolences and deepest sympathies go to Rick’s family andhis friends,” University President Henry Bienen said in astatement. “It saddens all of us greatly when we lose a member ofthe Northwestern community, and particularly so in thesecircumstances.”
University officials and counselors met Sunday afternoon withLieb’s friends and members of Foster House, the residence hallwhere he lived. Plans for services have not yet been finalized.
Foster House President Vivek Kumar said the dorm cancelled anupcoming social event because of Lieb’s death.
“We’re all surprised and sad by what happened,” said Kumar, aMcCormick sophomore who lived on the same floor as Lieb.
Francis J. Klocke, director of NU’s Feinberg CardiovascularResearch Institute, said hypertensive cardiovascular diseaseusually occurs in adults who have a history of high blood pressure.Klocke said both the disease and high blood pressure are “uncommon”in people of Lieb’s age. In younger people, high blood pressureusually is a “secondary” problem resulting from some other medicalcondition, whereas in older adults it is usually considered a”primary” condition.
The student section emptied onto Ryan Field Saturday night afterNU’s football team beat Ohio State in overtime 33-27 — the firstvictory over the Buckeyes since 1971. The number of studentsattending the game was not available Sunday, but the stadium wasfilled to capacity and some students said they were turned awayfrom admission because the game was sold out.
“To have something like this happen is truly tragic,” said AlanCubbage, vice president for university relations. “It was a reallywonderful evening and a great football game and to have somethinglike this happen at the end of it like this is a real loss.Northwestern students are remarkably bright and good students andand clearly have a lot to give yet in their lives, so to lose oneat an age like this is a very, very unhappy circumstance.”
Reach Alison Knezevich at [email protected] and DanStrumpf at [email protected].
The Daily’s Scott Gordon contributed to this report
