Non-traumatic deaths in college football since 2000
CBSSports.com staff
According to research obtained by CBSSports.com "exertional sickling", a complication of sickle cell trait, is now the leading cause of death of NCAA football players this decade. Five of the 10 deaths in Division I-A have been attributed to the condition. There have been seven deaths (out of 19 non-traumatic deaths total) at all divisions since 2000 due to sickle cell trait.
| Name, School | Date of Death | Cause of Death | Age | Notes |
| Preston Birdsong, Tennessee Tech | 8/13/2000 | Exertional Sickling | 18 | Collasped during Day 1 conditioning test |
| Michael King, Univ. of Indianpolis | 8/15/2000 | Heatstroke | 19 | Collasped during practice |
| Devaughn Darling, Florida State | 2/26/2000 | Exertional Sickling | 18 | Collasped during mat drills |
| Eraste Austin, Florida | 7/25/2000 | Heatstroke | 18 | Collasped following conditioning workout |
| Rashidi Wheeler, Northwestern | 8/3/2001 | Asthma | 22 | Collasped during conditioning test |
| Jawan Jackson, Northern Illinois | 2/1/2002 | N/A | 19 | Collasped during conditioning drills |
| Jackie Blanding, Albany State | 8/7/2003 | Cardiac Cardiomyopathy | 26 | Collasped during conditioning test |
| Christopher Waddell, NW Louisiana State | 3/1/2004 | Disease | 18 | Collasped during offseason conditioning |
| McCollins Umeh, Arizona | 6/6/2004 | Cardiac | 18 | Collasped 20 minutes into a 30-minute workout |
| David Colston, Prairie View A&M | N/A | Heatstroke | N/A | Collasped during practice |
| Aaron Richardson, Bowling Green | 9/15/2004 | Exertional Sickling | 18 | Collasped during first 10 minutes of practice |
| Aaron O'Neal, Missouri | 7/12/2005 | Exertional Sickling | 19 | Collasped following conditioning workout |
| Doug Schmed, Illinois Wesleyan | 8/24/2005 | Heatstroke, Cardiac Arrythmia | 21 | Collasped following morning workout |
| Vince Bernardo, Shippensburg (Pa.) | 8/8/2006 | Heat Triggered | 17 | Collasped 19 minutes into Day 1 practice |
| Dale Lloyd, Rice | 9/24/2006 | Exertional Sickling | 19 | Collasped at the conclusion of 16 100-yard sprints |
| Keely Dorsey, South Florida | 1/1/2007 | Cardiac | 19 | Collasped during offseason lifts |
| Ereck Plancher, UCF | 3/18/2008 | Exertional Sickling | 19 | Collasped at conclusion of offseason workouts |
| Chad Wiley, North Carolina A&T | 5/28/2008 | Exertional Sickling | 22 | Collasped after offseason workout |
| Sam Collins, Huntingdon College | 8/15/2008 | Heatstroke | 18 | Collasped during practice |
