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Tampa family grieving loss of Bucknell University football player who died after collapsing at 1st practice

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Published  August 26, 2024 5:38pm EDT
Tampa
FOX 13 News

Bucknell student dies after collapsing during training

Aaron Mesmer reports

TAMPA, Fla. - The death of an 18-year-old college football player from Tampa has his family hoping for answers while grieving the sudden death of their son.

Calvin "C.J." Dickey had taken part in his first training session for the Bucknell University football team last month when he collapsed in the weight room, according to his family. He passed away in the hospital two days later.

"I can't say enough about how truly blessed we were to have him and how much. My life is going to forever be changed, our lives, our family's lives," said Nicole Dickey, C.J.'s mother. "We're not the only ones hurting. He left a whole village of people that are grieving."

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C.J. Dickey was a two-star athlete at Carrollwood Day School in Tampa, where he played football and baseball.

Credit: Dickey family

His parents said it wasn't just their son's athleticism and size -- 6 feet 4 inches tall and 290 pounds -- that jumped off the page. His smile and kindness did too.

"He was just a gentle giant. He really was," said Calvin Dickey, C.J.'s father.

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Calvin and Nicole Dickey dropped off their son at Bucknell on July 8. Two days later, C.J. Dickey attended his first practice, which, according to the family, took place in the weight room.

Hours after that practice, C.J.'s parents received a gut-wrenching call: their son had collapsed during drills and was rushed to the hospital.

Credit: Dickey family

"He's been training, working out, getting myself ready and this just came out on leftfield," said C.J.'s father.

Calvin Dickey said doctors indicated his son's condition, sickle cell traits, may have contributed to the medical issue but didn't explain much more. He said C.J. Dickey’s heart rate was elevated but his blood pressure was low when his parents arrived at the hospital. He was, however, awake and talking at first.

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C.J. Dickey was taken to another hospital that doctors believed would be able to better treat his condition, his family said. Two days after entering the second hospital, however, the teenager passed away.

Credit: Dickey family

"I just could not have imagined someone so healthy, so full of life passing away two days later," Nicole Dickey said.

According to experts, sickle cell trait is a blood disorder that, in rare cases, can cause serious problems during exercise. 

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The Dickeys said the teenager never had any issues before this situation, even while playing on offense and defense in football in the Florida heat. They said they and the school knew about their son’s condition and doctors cleared him to play.

Credit: Dickey family

The Dickeys said Bucknell University officials haven't given them much information about the circumstances surrounding C.J.'s death and they have so many unanswered questions.

"If you could imagine us as parents who have loved and poured into and just embrace having this wonderful young man not know anything of what led up to him collapsing. What happened? What was your response? Where are your protocols?" Nicole Dickey said. "It's very important to understand what happened because it's so important to prevent this from happening again to anyone else."

In a statement to FOX 13, a Bucknell University spokesperson stated that their deepest condolences go out to the Dickey family. 

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