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Who was Drake Geiger? Nebraska footballer, 16, dies of heatstroke as he collapses in practice

Drake Geiger, 16, is survived by his father, four sisters, and grandparents

A Nebraska teen football player lost his life while practicing for the game. Drake Geiger was just 16 when he died on Tuesday, August 10, after collapsing ten minutes into the training session. He was a student at Omaha South High School.

According to Geiger’s father, Scott Hoffman, his son fell unconscious when he went for a drink after finishing his drill. He was soon rushed to the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), his sister Brittany Hoffman wrote on a GoFundMe page. She added: “[He] ended up being rushed to UNMC with CPR being performed. They began to try other procedures to try and revive him. With great sadness they were not able to save him.”

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Scott Hoffman said that he got a call from Geiger’s coach at around 4.20 in the evening. The coach said that the teenager had collapsed and was transported to the hospital. “After about 30-45 minutes the doctor came in and said that his body was so overheated and his organs were working extra hard, and he was very, very sick. They told me it wasn't a good situation,” the grieving father mentioned.

Scott also stated that he was informed by the medical staff that Geiger’s internal temperature was nearly 122 degrees. “After about probably another hour they said we could go back, and we went back. There were 25 people working on him in a little room. We watched them work on him and do compressions for a good hour and a half, and he just didn't pull through,” he recalled. He said that his son died of heatstroke, as per doctors. On Tuesday, Omaha’s temperature was recorded at 91 at 4 pm, but the heat index was between 100 and 106.

The devastated dad also noted that though his son was “a big kid, he was healthy.” He added, “He didn't deserve this. He had his whole life ahead of him. I just wish this didn't happen.” The deceased schoolboy was 6 feet 3 and 389 pounds, but did not have any medical history. Scott remembered Geiger would have got his driving license on August 11, but died a day earlier. “He was the nicest kid there could have been. He never got into any trouble. He was friendly, and everybody liked him. His goal was to be a part of the team,” he noted.

Geiger was survived by his father, four sisters, and grandparents. After his tragic death, all of them have been “sticking together, talking and supporting each other”. “Last night the hardest part was being alone and seeing his room. That just hurt a lot... He always just lit everybody up,” his father said.

The teen’s school has also issued a letter to parents in the wake of his death. “We have been in contact with Drake’s family and conveyed our heartfelt sympathy and support. Many in our community will be affected by this news. South High is a tight-knit community, and we are here for one another,” Principal Jodi Pesek said in the letter.

People on the internet were also shocked to know about the unexpected death of Geiger. A user tweeted, “Rest In peace Drake Geiger, our thoughts and condolences go out to his family and friends.” Another one wrote, “please stay safe when being outside, sending all the love i can to the family and friends of #DrakeGeiger.” “They should have made sure it didn't happen in the first place. We send our kids to school with the presumption if their safety. And excessive heat warning should have meant practice was moved inside or canceled!” a tweet read.

At the time of writing, the GoFundMe page has raised more than its goal of $20K.