Tragedy has struck a football program a couple of levels below the FBS.
Chadron State, a Div. II school in Nebraska, confirmed that Eric Goll passed away Thursday. Goll took ill during a practice session late that morning, was transported via ambulance to a local hospital and was pronounced dead at around 12:30 local time.
He was just 20 years old.
A preliminary autopsy has shown that Goll had an enlarged heart.
The Chadron Police and the Dawes County Attorney’s office are currently investigating. Additional testing and toxicological screening are being performed as part of the investigation, the Associated Press reported.
“Eric was one of the happiest people I’ve ever met,” said head football coach Jay Long in a statement. “Our hearts are broken for Eric’s family. They have our condolences and our prayers.”
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Goll’s family, teammates, and friends from the entire Chadron State College community,” said CSC president Dr. Randy Rhine.
We would also like to extend our thoughts, prayers and condolences to all of those affected by Goll’s death.