Eraste Autin
Uf's Autin Dead At 18 Freshman Dies 6 Days After Collapsing At End Of Workout College Football July 26, 2001|By George Diaz, Sentinel Staff Writer Eraste Autin's brief legacy as a Florida Gator will be etched in tragedy and sorrow. A member of the Florida family for only three weeks, Autin was pronounced dead at 2:10 p.m. Wednesday at Shands Hospital at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He was 18. Collapsing from heatstroke on a sidewalk outside the UF practice facility shortly after a voluntary preseason workout last Thursday, Autin lapsed into a coma and never regained consciousness. Trainers said Autin never showed signs of physical distress before his collapse. "This is probably the saddest time I've ever had as a coach or as a player," Florida Coach Steve Spurrier told Gators fans in Orlando Wednesday night. "Nothing like this has ever happened." Autin (pronounced A-ross OH-tan), accompanied by members of the UF athletic training staff, was rushed by ambulance to Shands in about 20 minutes. Although he was conscious upon admission at 5:47 p.m., "there were complications, and his situation got really bad around 10 that night," Spurrier said. The cause of death is uncertain pending an autopsy. Friends of the family said Autin had a major heart attack, and his fever rose to 108 degrees before he lapsed into a coma after his 10th workout in a series that began shortly after freshman football players received their physicals July 2. "Today obviously is a day of incredible sadness and grief as we acknowledge the passing of Eraste Autin," UF Athletic Director Jeremy Foley said in Gainesville. "Words cannot convey to the family how sorry we are. Words cannot convey the grief that they are going through today. On behalf of this entire athletic program, obviously we send our sincerest and our deepest condolences to the family. "It is a very special family. We have had the privilege of being with them ever since this occurred. Their strength is phenomenal. Their faith is more phenomenal." Florida's extended family grieved with Spurrier in Orlando on Wednesday evening, when a festive Gator Gathering at the Central Florida Fairgrounds took on a solemn backdrop as news spread of Autin's death. Several thousand fans who came to buy anything branded with Florida's signature orange and blue -- footballs, hubcaps, ashtrays -- joined Spurrier for a 10-second moment of silence in Autin's honor. "It's unfortunate whether it's a Gator or anybody else," said Greg Tipton of Orlando. "I feel bad for the family, but I think when he collapsed and wasn't coming around, it was best that he passed on." ________________________________ From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> To: Gator Talk <[email protected]> Sent: Fri, May 7, 2010 2:37:55 PM Subject: Re: [gatortalk] RE: [gatornews] [SUN]: 2010/05/06 14:47 --- "Robbie's Playbook" --- Important offseason for Gators [Andreu] I think the death of the player, (A-ross?) affected Spurrier more than most realized. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry ________________________________ From: Steve McKibben <[email protected]> Date: Fri, 7 May 2010 08:06:39 -0700 (PDT) To: <[email protected]> Subject: RE: [gatortalk] RE: [gatornews] [SUN]: 2010/05/06 14:47 --- "Robbie's Playbook" --- Important offseason for Gators [Andreu] It may have been a factor, but it wasn't it 1999 when we lost twice to Bama? SOS didn't quit until after the 2001 season. That being said, since Alabama will be the team that has the bulls eye on their backs this year, they're replacing more starters on defense (many of them 2 and 3 year starters) than we had to after the 2006 season, and they have to play six SEC games against opponents coming off of a bye week, I won't be surprised if they don't make it to Atlanta. --- On Fri, 5/7/10, Randy Lyons <[email protected]> wrote: > > >That exact scenario is what sent SOS packing to Washington, didn’t it? Losing >to Bama twice in the same year can be crushing. L -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
