Honoring the 10 Year Anniversary of Korey Stringer’s Death
I Think Korey Would Be Proud
(But There Is Much Work Still To Do)
By: Douglas J. Casa, PhD, ATC, FACSM, FNATA ,
Chief Operating Officer: Korey Stringer Institute
On August 1, 2001 Korey Stringer passed away due to exertional heat stroke suffered while practicing for the Minnesota Vikings. August 1, 2011 marks the 10-year anniversary of his passing. Obviously, the years that followed his passing were filled with heartache, legal struggles, and setbacks. But, in the past few years, as a result of the efforts of Korey’s widow Kelci Stringer, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and Korey’s agent James Gould, and those affiliated with the NFL (Jeff Pash, Gary Gertzog, Elliott Pellman), NFLPA (DeMaurice Smith, Jason Belser, Scottie Graham, Thom Mayer), Gatorade (Scott Paddock, John Shea, Karen May), Timex (Herbie Calves and Team), and University of Connecticut (UConn; Carl Maresh, Tom DeFranco, Peter Nicholls, Colin Poitras, Becca Stearns, Julie DeMartini, Kelly Pagnotta, and many others), we find ourselves presented with an enormous opportunity to make a positive impact on the health and safety of athletes at all levels of competition. The founding of the Korey Stringer Institute (KSI) at UConn was a momentous occasion in that the two opposing sides of the legal battle came together to make an honest effort to find some genuine and worthy legacy in the name of Korey Stringer. (The concept of KSI was announced in January 2009 as part of the settlement between the NFL and Kelci Stringer, and there was a formal opening at the NFL Draft Press Conference in Radio Music Hall in NYC on April 23, 2010.) We could not have anticipated how much KSI was needed before we opened our doors, but we have come to quickly realize that the concept of preventing sudden death in sport and physical activity is an issue that is a concern for a wide range of vested parties, including medical staff, parents, coaches, athletes, administrators, media, lawyers, and researchers. We have worked diligently to provide resources at KSI that our namesake would be proud of, and we are extremely thankful that Kelci has entrusted this enormous responsibility on my UConn colleagues, board members from around the country, and me. While August 1, 2011 marks the 10-year anniversary of Korey’s death, for us it is another milestone to pay tribute to the progress we have made and the Herculean tasks that lie ahead. In particular, the problems with conditioning sessions at the collegiate level and the lack of oversight and nearly complete dearth of appropriate polices and regulations at the high-school sport level provides fuel for our continued diligence to try and prevent needless deaths associated with sport participation. We trudge on, proudly. In one of our KSI offices hangs a framed former jersey of Korey from his playing days with the Vikings; a few feet away is my framed jersey from when I had a heat stroke as a high-school track athlete. Together they serve as reminders of the life that was tragically and needlessly lost 10 years ago and the opportunity to serve that was provided when I survived my heat stroke 26 years ago. We do not take the responsibility lightly. We will never back down from our aggressive efforts to make positive changes. The outcomes of our efforts are lifesaving, and that is our fuel. The ultimate motivation for me is knowing that at hundreds of dinner tables across the country, parents, spouses, children, siblings, and friends are blessed with the presence of someone that we helped save. We cherish our chance to do this, and look forward to doing this long into the future.
P.S. We are going to have an event to honor the 10-year anniversary of Korey’s passing. More news to soon follow.
