San Antonio college sports activities announcer passes absent in the course of recreation, OLLU confirms

SAN ANTONIO – Michael Thompson, a longtime and beloved member of Our Girl of the Lake University’s Athletics Office, passed absent Saturday afternoon.

In accordance to college officers, Thompson might have suffered a cardiac arrest for the duration of a women’s basketball video game.

Thompson was known as “The Voice of the Saints” considering the fact that 2009.

“He identified as extra than 800 games because 2009. Basketball, baseball, softball, he coated them all,” said OLLU spokesman Ken Rodríguez.

According to a Fb publish on the university’s athletics webpage, Thompson “spearheaded the generation of OLLU’s stay streaming system in 2009, creating it into a premiere broadcasting system that has been admired in the course of the NAIA and beyond.”

Saints athletes, which includes softball participant Ciera Martínez, mentioned they were impressed with Thompson’s expertise driving the microphone.

“I find it extremely amazing how just about every activity he is familiar with (and) each very little detail and point about each individual activity,” Martínez claimed. “He’s an incredible announcer.”

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On the other hand, his voice under no circumstances arrived again on the airwaves after halftime for the duration of the women’s basketball recreation vs LSU Alexandria on Saturday afternoon.

At 3:47 p.m., OLLU Saints Athletics tweeted the remainder of the women’s match would be suspended and the men’s activity cancelled owing to an incident on campus.

College officers verified to KSAT that Thompson allegedly fell down the bleachers.

“They rushed (him) to the medical center, and unfortunately he’s no for a longer period with us,” Rodríguez mentioned. “We were being advised by a social worker at the medical center that it was an evident cardiac occasion.”

An formal induce of demise has not been produced by the Professional medical Examiner’s workplace.

Although the Saints gymnasium remains closed, on Monday, athletes, coaches and staff members collected in a somber prayer assistance to honor Thompson.

“I assume right now was an expression of enjoy that arrived from the heart of this college,” Rodríguez reported. “He poured so a lot of his heart into us, and now was our time to give back to him (through) reflections and track and prayers.”

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The prayer support took place within the Sacred Coronary heart Chapel with the OLLU local community putting roses at the altar.

“The flowers characterize his lifetime and the (gorgeous) effect he (had) on us,” Martínez said.

“Michael is just a incredibly beloved man or woman right here, and although we significantly pass up him, this was our option on Valentine’s Working day to give an expression of love to not only him and his memory, but to his relatives,” Rodríguez reported.

Thompson also assisted direct the city’s only are living college or university newscast, Lake Front Dwell.

“He was a studio Tv technician for our mass communications application,” Rodríguez claimed. “He assisted those people college students get in front of an anchor desk, report, appear into the digicam. He did all of that. He was a true asset to (our) mass communications application.”

It is Thompson’s unrivaled passion for the Saints that the OLLU group will overlook the most.

“His most memorable game was in 2011, when OLLU’s men’s (basketball crew) upset the quantity a person group in the NAIA,” Rodríguez stated.

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Fifty-a few seconds into a 2011 YouTube movie, Thompson can be listened to celebrating the Saints’ large gain: “Three at the buzzer. They got it. Saints gain! Saints acquire! Saints get! 94! 91! They upset LSU Shreveport.”

Specifics for funeral preparations have nevertheless to be introduced.