Derek Phillips, Iowa marching band member, taken off life support

IOWA CITY, Iowa —

A member of the Hawkeye Marching Band who collapsed during Iowa's first football game of the season has been taken off life support.

According to the family of Derek Phillips, an Iowa student and member of the Hawkeye Marching Band, Phillips collapsed Saturday in the heat and "suffered a sudden cardiac arrest." He was treated by the ICU team at the University of Iowa Hospital but has since been taken off life support due to damage to his brain, his family announced.

The Hawkeye Marching Band announced Tuesday afternoon that Phillips has died. You can read their full statement below:

Iowa City saw temperatures in the 90s Saturday during the game, and the Hawkeye Marching Band did not perform at halftime due to heat concerns.

At the start of a press conference Tuesday, when Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz spoke with reporters, he immediately started by touching on Phillips's passing.

"On behalf of everybody associated with our program, just wanted to offer our thoughts and our condolences to his family, his friends, and all of the people that he impacted certainly in his life. It's just a really, really, very, very sad thing," said Ferentz. "I can't imagine going through something like that. Talking about last week's game or this week's game kind of pales in comparison to that."

The University of Iowa shared a statement with KCCI:

"We were heartbroken to learn that University of Iowa student Derek Phillips has passed. Derek was a fourth-year student from Peosta studying business analytics and information systems and music. He enrolled in the fall of 2024, joining the Hawkeye Marching Band, and becoming the mellophone section leader.

"Our hearts are with Derek’s family, friends, and loved ones, as they mourn and remember him. We are grateful to Derek’s parents for providing regular updates to the HMB community who loved him. Both the HMB and School of Music have counselors on-site for students this week. The university will honor Derek’s memory with a moment of silence at the Hawkeye football game this Saturday (Sept. 12)."

The university also shared the following resources:

University Counseling Service: 319-335-7294

Student Care and Assistance: 319-335-1162

Employee Assistance Program: 319-335-2085

24-hour Crisis and Support Line: 844-461-5420 or 988

WATCH: Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz shares statement after death of marching band member

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