Sports
Southern Nazarene sophomore Tyler Ulrich dies after football game injury
Tyler Ulrich, a sophomore defensive back from Azle, Texas, died days after sustaining a traumatic injury during Southern Nazarene’s game against Ouachita Baptist. The university said he had been hospitalized and surrounded by family, teammates and friends.
BETHANY, Okla. — Southern Nazarene University sophomore football player Tyler Ulrich died Thursday, days after he was critically injured during a game, university President Keith Newman announced.
Ulrich, a defensive back from Azle, Texas, was hurt during the Crimson Storm’s game against Ouachita Baptist on Saturday. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The university has not released details about how the injury occurred or its nature.
“Tyler was a beloved member of our SNU football team and student body,” Newman said in a statement. He said Ulrich had remained in the hospital with family, teammates and friends by his side.
Newman asked the university community to keep Ulrich’s family, teammates, coaches and friends in their thoughts and prayers. He also said the school’s Renew Counseling Center and campus pastors were available to help students and employees cope with the loss.
The university held a campus-wide prayer chapel Tuesday, Newman said. An SNU play-by-play announcer described the scene following the injury as among the most distressing he had witnessed at a game.
Ulrich’s death has left the Bethany campus and Southern Nazarene football community grieving after the injury during Saturday’s game.