Derek Phillips, a University of Iowa band member, has died three days after suffering a cardiac arrest during extreme heat at a football game. He was taken off life support before his death was confirmed on Tuesday.
Who was Derek Phillips?
Derek Phillips was a third-year student from Dubuque, Iowa, who led the Hawkeye Marching Band’s mellophone section, as per ESPN. He was a graduate of Western Dubuque High School and studied business analytics and information systems at Iowa.
Phillips played horn in the band, performed and travelled with the group and also took part in drama, as per The Athletic. He had also spent the summer touring with a drum and bugle corps.
His family described him as a “phenomenal musician — whether he was playing jazz, singing his heart out, or marching under the lights, music was the language of his soul.”
They added, “He just had the absolute summer of his life touring in drum and bugle corps. We are so grateful for that experience.” His family also said, “Derek brought so much light, humor and kindness into this world.”
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What happened during the game
Phillips suffered a “sudden cardiac arrest” on Saturday, shortly before the band was set to perform its halftime show, according to a message posted to his Instagram account by his family.
Temperatures reached 94 degrees in Iowa City on Saturday, according to ESPN. The football game against Northern Illinois started as scheduled, with the temperature at 90 degrees.
Because of the extreme heat, the Hawkeye Marching Band did not perform its halftime show. As per The Athletic, it was the first time the band had skipped its halftime performance. The band posted on X, “The health and safety of our students, staff, and fans are our top priority. Due to the heat, HMB will forego our halftime performance today.”
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Phillips dies after being taken off life support
Phillips was taken to the University of Iowa Hospital after the cardiac arrest. He was taken off life support on Monday.
In the Instagram statement, his family wrote, “Despite the extraordinary efforts of the ICU team at the University of Iowa Hospital, the damage to his brain was too severe, and we have made the heartbreaking decision to remove life support.”
Phillips died on Tuesday morning.
Tributes pour in
Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz opened his Tuesday news conference by acknowledging Phillips’ death, saying he was “heartbroken” to learn about it. “On behalf of everybody associated with our program, we just want to offer our thoughts, our condolences to his family, his friends and all the people he impacted, certainly, in his life,” Ferentz said. “It’s just a really, really, very, very sad thing.”
The Hawkeye Marching Band said in a statement, “Derek Phillips was our mellophone section leader, a beloved member of the School of Music horn studio, and the kind of friend, student, and musician that represents the very best of what it means to be a Hawkeye.”