We noted last week that Marshall defensive tackles coach J.C. Price recently underwent corrective heart surgery. As it turns out, Price isn’t the only FBS assistant dealing with an issue involving the very essential organ.
In a story posted to the Reno Gazette Journal‘s website, writer Chris Murray details how, seven weeks ago, Nevada offensive line coach Ron Hudson underwent open-heart surgery to repair damage that was initially discovered during an emergency room visit last May.
From the report:But after he started to develop symptoms — light-headedness and fatigue the biggest indicators — he finally went to the ER. After a battery of tests, it was determined he had atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm characterized by rapid and irregular beating. It would first be treated with medication. That helped, but it didn’t fix the issue. So, once Nevada’s season ended, he’d get an ablation.
That’s a fairly routine, although invasive, surgery in which abnormal heart tissue is melted away. Hudson went in for that surgery Feb. 25. It would be a 45-minute procedure and he’d be good to go.
“I went into the hospital, they put me to sleep and I woke up and said, ‘How did it go?’” Hudson said. “They said, ‘We didn’t do it.’ I said, ‘Why not?’ The doctor said, ‘We found a blood clot in your heart.’”
Open-heart surgery was performed the very next day, likely saving his life or, at the very least, prevented him from suffering a debilitating stroke.
“We’re incredibly lucky that he’s healthy,” head coach Brian Polian said. “That was an awfully scary deal.”
Per doctor’s orders, Hudson, who is in his third season with the Wolf Pack, is not permitted to coach this spring. He should be back on the sidelines beginning in summer camp this August.
What he’s gone through, however, has given the entire staff a new outlook on their professional and personal lives.
""It puts things into perspective very quickly,” Polian said. “The fans and everybody, I don’t think they understand the level of commitment the coaches and players give. People tell you it’s not life or death, but we take this very seriously. When you see something like that, you take a step back and remember what’s really important. Obviously, being a husband and father is the most important thing for him.”
(Photo credit: Nevada athletics)