Tyler Ulrich, a 21-year-old football player at Southern Nazarene University, died Thursday from a traumatic brain injury he suffered during a game the previous weekend, the university said.
Ulrich, a sophomore safety, was hurt during an away game against Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
He spent five days in the hospital before he died, according to the school. Southern Nazarene is a private Christian university in Bethany, Oklahoma, in the Oklahoma City area.
University president Keith Newman said Ulrich had been continually surrounded by the love, prayers and presence of his family, teammates and friends while he was hospitalized, and asked the public to keep them in their prayers.
In a Facebook post, the school said the loss was deeply felt across campus.
Jason Vines, one of Ulrich’s coaches at Azle High School in Azle, Texas, told ABC News he was an “unbelievable young man” who was known and loved across his school and town, and praised his smile and work ethic.
Southwestern Oklahoma State University announced that its game against Southern Nazarene, scheduled for Saturday, had been canceled, and offered its support to the team and campus. ABC News did not report how the injury occurred on the field.
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