MORRIS, Minn. -- A 20-year-old University of
Minnesota-Morris student was killed Saturday when football fans
pulled down a goal post at the end of the Cougars' 34-28 overtime
homecoming win over Crown College.
Richard Thomas Rose of Benton City, Wash., was a junior at
Minnesota-Morris and a member of the men's basketball team, the
school said.
Rose was pronounced dead at a hospital after attempts to revive
him on the field failed, Minnesota-Morris Chancellor Sam Schuman
said.
"I think the presumption is that [his] death was caused by [a] blow from the goal post," Schuman told The Associated Press.
University Police Sgt. Chuck Grussing said his department is
working with the Stevens County coroner's office to investigate the
death. He said the investigation was in the early stages and
declined comment Saturday night.
Schuman said the stands were full with probably about 1,000 fans
watching the last football game at "Cougar Field." The Cougars
move to a new stadium next season.
Schuman said students were "understandably quite upset."
"He was a popular young man, and I think students are shocked
and in a very deep state of grief," Schuman said. He said the
school will offer counseling to students, staff and faculty.
No one else was hurt. An autopsy will be conducted.
Minnesota-Morris is a public liberal arts school of about 1,700
students in west-central Minnesota, about 135 miles northwest of
Minneapolis.