A military service member has died following injuries sustained after falling from the rafters prior to Saturday's college football game between UTSA and Navy inside the Alamodome in San Antonio, Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs confirmed Sunday.
A spokesperson for Nellis Air Force Base said a service member assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2 succumbed to injuries at a local hospital after falling during a pregame rappelling demonstration in connection with UTSA's Salute to Armed Forces & Veterans game.
According to the San Antonio Express-News, one of four service members slipped down the rope from the rafters in "an uncontrolled manner" and crashed to the ground. The injured airman was quickly attended to by medical personnel. and put on a stretcher before being taken to a local hospital by the San Antonio Fire Department.
The name of the deceased has not been released by the Air Force.
The 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2, is an Air Force unit that supports training for tactical air controllers.
The start of Saturday's game was temporarily delayed following the pregame event, prompting UTSA coach Jeff Traylor to keep his team in the locker room while the airman was being treated by medical personnel.
"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 further than that," Traylor said. "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, so that's how I handled it."
Traylor said his players "could just tell the energy was gone" after coming back onto the field for the opening kickoff in what was a somber environment.
"Just thinking thoughts and prayers with that family," UTSA quarterback Owen McCown said after the game. "I know we said a prayer postgame, but they'll continue being our thoughts and prayers, and really thinking about them."
UTSA beat Navy, 38-34, in front of a crowd of 23,297.
"It's hard. I just think as players too, my thoughts go immediately with the family," McCown said. "It's obviously bigger than football. And then as just the game went on, kind of got the ebbs and flows, and getting back to playing football. And I thought at first, it was hard to get around, and then finally got going again."
