William Jewell College junior running back MicahJo Barnett died after experiencing a medical emergency on the sideline -- and shortly after scoring a touchdown -- during the Missouri-based Division II school's season opener against Fort Lewis College on Saturday, police and school officials said.
Without providing many details, police in Liberty, Missouri, issued a statement that said emergency officials at the game attended to a player about 20 minutes after kickoff. The player was transported by ambulance to a hospital, police said.
The player was pronounced dead at the hospital and was identified by the school as Barnett. No other details were released.
The college posted a message on its football website with the headline: "Jewell Mourns Loss of Football Student-Athlete MicahJo Barnett." The message included Barnett's picture in black and white, the words "Forever a Cardinal" and the years 2005-2026.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with MicahJo's family, our students, the Cardinal Football family, and the rest of our community during this time of loss," the message read.
According to online game statistics, Barnett scored on a 1-yard run with 5:15 remaining in the first quarter. The game was stopped with 4:32 left in the quarter, after Fort Lewis College punted the ball out of bounds. Barnett had six carries for 30 yards and a touchdown when play was suspended and with the Cardinal leading 7-0.
A somber group of Barnett's teammates, speaking to local reporters after the game, reflected on his high character as a person and player and referred to him as "the guy to look up to" in the locker room.
"It's an honor to play for him, you know," said sophomore wide receiver Tatum Bethany, according to Fox 4 Kansas City. "He's always going to be with us regardless. So we know he would want us to keep moving and keep pushing and play as hard as he would every day."
William Jewell officials encouraged students and staff to connect with the school's counseling service and the office of the chaplain. The school held a vigil in honor of Barnett and his family Saturday night.
"At this point, it's not really thinking about the [rest of the] season. This is bigger than football," sophomore wide receiver Kaleb Mays said. "He was bigger than football."
Barnett was from Shawnee Mission, Kansas, and was opening his third season at William Jewell. In his first two seasons, he combined for 108 carries for 457 yards and six touchdowns in 13 career games.
During his senior high school season at Liberty North, Barnett combined for 1,450 all-purpose yards and scored 20 touchdowns to earn All-Missouri state honors and part of a state championship-winning team.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.