Tuesday, September 26, 2006 - The Michigan Daily - 11
Rice football player dies
after collapse at practice
HOUSTON (AP) - A Rice University
freshman football player died yesterday, a
day after collapsing during a light work-
out.
Dale Lloyd, a 19-year-old defensive
back, collapsed on the field about 5 p.m.
Sunday but was conscious when taken to
a hospital by ambulance. He died about 9
a.m. yesterday, school officials said.
"I just can't describe the pain we're feel-
ing right now and the shock," Rice athletic
director Chris Del Conte said. "It will
take a long time to digest. The coaches
are crushed. This is a tough time for all
of us."
Del Conte said Lloyd collapsed while
the team was doing some light running.
Although he didn't complain of anything
specific, he told team trainers he didn't feel
right.
"No one knows what happened," Del
Conte said. "It's a mystery."
An autopsy is pending.
Coaches met with the team Monday
afternoon to talk about Lloyd's death.
"He was a tremendous student who hap-
pened to play football,' Del Conte said,
fighting back tears. "His smile just lit up
the room."
Lloyd played in Rice's season opener
against Houston but didn't play the last
three games. The team planned to redshirt
him.
Rice is scheduled to travel to face Army
on Saturday. Del Conte said he hasn't made
a decision on the status of that game.
"The Rice Owl family has suffered a
devastating loss," Rice coach Todd Gra-
ham said in a statement. "Dale was a
tremendous person with the heart of a
champion."
Lloyd played football and baseball at
Houston's Lamar High School, was select-
ed to the Who's Who Among American
High School Students and volunteered
with the Mayor's Youth Council.
He is survived by his parents, Dale and
Bridgette Lloyd, and two brothers.
The Madden curse lives on with Shaun Alexander out indefinitely due to a broken foot.
Seahawks lose
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KIRKLAND, Wash. (AP) - League
MVP Shaun Alexander has a broken
left foot and will be lost to the Seat-
tle Seahawks for at least a couple of
weeks.
Coach Mike Holmgren said yester-
day that a bone scan revealed Alex-
ander sustained a "small crack" and
"displaced fracture" on a non-weight-
bearing bone in his foot sometime
during the Seahawks' 42-30 win over
the New York Giants on Sunday. Alex-
ander ran for 47 yards on 20 carries
before sitting out the fourth quarter,
which began with Seattle leading 42-3.
The coach said last season's NFL
rushing leader was on crutches inside
team headquarters yesterday.
"You lose the MVP for a while, it's a
hit," Holmgren said. "Let's face it, he's
the MVP. We're not going to sugarcoat
it."
Alexander missed practices last
Wednesday and Thursday because of
soreness from a bone bruise he sus-
tained while rushing for 51 yards on 19
carries in the Sept. 10 season opener
at Detroit. Holmgren said that bone
bruise led to the small crack.
Alexander will miss at least Sunday
night's showdown at Chicago, which
is also 3-0. Seattle has its bye the fol-
lowing week before playing at division
rival St. Louis on Oct. 15.
"I don't think it will be lengthy,"
Holmgren said. "He just has to stay off
of it and let it heal."
Holmgren said he could not yet spec-
ify how long last season's league rush-
ing champion would be out.
"We're looking at a few weeks, let's
put it that way," Holmgren said. "The
good thing is, it's just a small, little
crack _ if you want to talk about a good
thing."
Alexander has started 69 of the last
70 games for the Seahawks. His only
absence in that span was a 2002 start
that he missed to help with the birth of
his first daughter. He entered that game
in the second quarter.
Last season, Alexander rushed for
1,880 yards and 27 touchdowns. He
has just 187 yards and an average
of 2.9 yards per carry through three
games. His career average is 4.5 yards
per rush. He has gained fewer than 100
yards in each of Seattle's three games
this season, his first such streak in two
years.
Sunday, the Seahawks welcomed
former Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch
by featuring four-wide receiver forma-
tions, and Matt Hasselbeck threw a
franchise record-tying five touchdown
passes.
Maurice Morris will make his fourth
career start for Alexander against the
Bears. Morris rushed 15 times for 18
yards against the Giants on Sunday.
Bullet fragment removed from
head of Duquesne player
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Doctors of swelling. The fragments that which would have resulted in paraly-
removed a bullet fragment yester- remain still pose a problem - if they sis.
day from the head of Sam Ashaolu, shift into vital areas of the brain, they Ranked by several scouting servic-
the most seriously injured of five could cause a dramatic change in es as one of the top five junior college
Duquesne University basketball play- Ashaolu's condition. transfers in the country, Baldonado
ers shot on campus. It's too early in Ashaolu's rehabili- had been expected to be an impact
The fragment, initially believed to tation to tell whether he will move player at Duquesne, rebuilding after a
be an intact slug, was removed from normally or play basketball again, but 3-24 record last season.
behind his left ear, Duquesne officials his improvement has been rapid and He's moving around and looking
said. The player's medical team now dramatic. .great," Everhart said. "We may have
believes Ashaolu, a junior forward He has stopped receiving oxygen, him running this week."
from Toronto, Canada, has three bul- several days after doctors removed The other three players who were
let fragments remaining in his head. his ventilator. shot - Shawn James, Kojo Men-
Ashaolu, fighting for his life a week "When you think where he was sah and Aaron Jackson - all have
ago following the early morning Sept. a week ago, I couldn't be happier," returned to class. Neither James nor
17 shootings, moved from his Mercy Everhart said. Mensah were eligible this season
Hospital bed to a chair yesterday - Duquesne officials said they hope after the former prep school team-
the first stage of rehabilitation efforts Ashaolu can move from the intensive mates transferred to Duquesne this
to get him back on his feet. care unit to a rehabilitation facility in year to be reunited.
Duquesne coach Ron Everhart joked the near future. Mensah might miss up to eight
his reputation as a taskmaster might Ashaolu's family, in Pittsburgh weeks of practice.
have proven beneficial to Ashaolu, overseeing their brother's care, has In honor of Ashaolu and the other
who remains in serious condition. set up a fund to help offset the fami- injured players, Duquesne football
"The doctors were trying to get him ly's medical and travel expenses. players and spectators wore wrist-
to move into the chair," Everhart told Stuard Baldonado, the 6-foot-7 bands with the number "5" during
The Associated Press after a lengthy junior college transfer who was hos- Saturday's game against Sacred Heart
visit with Ashaolu. "My assistant pitalized until Friday, planned to - representing the number of play-
coach, Daryn Freedman, told him that resume classes yesterday evening. ers involved but the number Ashaolu
coach Everhart was coming and want- Shot in the lower back and left arm, planned to wear this season.
ed him to be in his chair. Daryn said his rehabilitation might require a red- Ashaolu's brother, Olu, a Texas
Sam got up immediately and went to shirt this season. high school basketball player and one
the chair without saying a word." The bullet that struck Baldonado in of the nation's most recruited juniors,
Doctors had been reluctant to the lower back was about one-quar- is expected to change his number to
remove any bullet fragments because ter inch from hitting his spinal cord, "5" in Sam's honor this season.
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