On August 1st, 2001, Minnesota Vikings’ Pro Bowl right tackle Korey Stringer passed away from heat exhaustion. Do you remember what you were doing when you heard the news?
It was a sad moment throughout the NFL community when word broke of Stringer’s passing. We look back at the timeline of how that humid, gut-wrenching series of unfortunate events unfolded.
Minnesota Vikings Training Camp – Mankato, Minnesota
July 30, 2001
6:35 AM
- Humidity levels reach 94% in Mankato, Minnesota
4:00 PM
- Temperature 90°
- Dew point 75°
- Vikings begin their second practice of the day
4:45 PM
- Heat index reaches 109°
- The temperature, dew point, and heat index hit the highest recorded marks in Mankato on any training camp date in the past decade
- Shortly after temps reached new highs, Korey Stringer left the field after vomiting due to heat exhaustion
July 31, 2001
- Temperature reached a high of 91°
- Heat index reached 111°
- Korey Stringer cleared to practice
2:45 AM
- Humidity levels reach 94 percent in Mankato, Minnesota
8:45 AM
- Temperature 82°
- Dew point 77°
- 84 percent humidity
- Minnesota Vikings conduct two-hour morning practice in full pads
- Stringer vomited three times during practice, yet insisted on finishing his work
11:15 AM
- After practice, Stringer did extra conditioning work before collapsing to the ground
11:20 AM
- Stringer managed to get up on his own power, walking to an air-conditioned trailer
11:52 AM
- Stringer was unresponsive, but not unconscious
12:00 PM
- Paul Osterman, Vikings assistant trainer, calls for an ambulance
12:09 PM
- Stringer gets into an ambulance
12:24 PM
- Stringer arrives at Immanuel St. Joseph’s hospital in Mankato, Minnesota
12:35 PM
- Stringer’s temperature measures 108.88°
August 1, 2001
1:50 AM
- After 13 hours of doctors monitoring his condition, Korey Stringer was pronounced dead at age 27
August 2, 2001
- Stringer’s autopsy later revealed his cause of death was organ failure due to heatstroke
November 19, 2001
- Minnesota Vikings retire Korey Stringer’s No. 77 jersey at halftime against the New York Giants in Week 10
- Stringer was also inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor
April 2010
- Stringer’s wife, along with Gatorade and the NFL, unveil Korey Stringer Institute
The Korey Stringer Institute (KS) is an exertional heat stroke prevention institute. Their mission is to “provide research, education, advocacy, and consultation to maximize performance, optimize safety, and prevent sudden death for the athlete, warfighter, and laborer.”