Southern player dies while conditioning

Dale Taylor, a 6-foot, 225-pound linebacker, had no pulse and was not breathing when medics arrived at a university gym after he collapsed at 4:25 p.m. Monday.

Taylor was taken to Earl K. Long Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Coroner Hypolite Landry said yesterday the cause of death was an enlarged heart, also known as cardiomyopathy.

All players undergo physical exams at the start of preseason drills in August, and head coach Pete Richardson said he was unaware of any pre-existing medical problem that Taylor might have had.

"It's tragic any time something like this happens," Richardson said. "It affects the whole family. It's a tragic day for everybody. I'm shocked."

Carl Williams, Southern's director of sports medicine, told the medics that Taylor had been running about four minutes when he collapsed.

In the offseason conditioning program, players run four days per week and lift weights twice per week.

Southern paid tribute to Taylor with a moment of silence Monday night before both its women's and men's basketball games against Prairie View.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete.

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