Additional details have emerged about the death of University of Northern Iowa football player Parker Sutherland on Saturday, February 14.
Sutherland, 18, collapsed during a team workout on Thursday, February 12, Northern Iowa football head coach Todd Stepsis said in a press conference on Monday, February 16.
“We get right through our warm-up in a routine, normal Thursday and he collapsed,” Stepsis told reporters. “For whatever reason, right after that warm-up, something happened. We’re not really sure what it was.”
First responders were called to the football team’s facilities on Thursday morning, and Sutherland was transported to a local hospital.
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No cause of death has been revealed.
On Monday, a visibly emotional Stepsis said, “If I could have 110 Parkers I would.”
“We’re not going to be able to replace him, but who he is as a person — he always had a smile on his face, he always made people feel good about themselves — it’s not about replacing him, but finding something extra inside to help fill that gap and close that void with him being gone,” he added.
A memorial was held on Northern Iowa’s campus on Monday, during which Parker’s father, Adam Sutherland, spoke to the crowd.
“I mean that poor kid, he didn’t even know how good looking he was,” Adam said. “He never did his hair. He wore black on black. It was just, ‘Hey, go back downstairs and change.’ ‘Okay, why?’ It didn’t phase him. He didn’t care. He didn’t care the littlest of anything. He didn’t care about what he wore, what he bought. All he wanted to do was eat and sleep, and hang out with the fellas. That’s it. And build Legos. Honestly.”
In a statement announcing Parker’s death on Saturday, coach Stepsis said he was “heartbroken.”
“Parker embodied everything we look for in a UNI Football Panther,” he said. “His talent and potential excited us on a daily basis, but it failed to compare to the type of person and teammate he was. His character, humility, toughness and genuine love of others are what champions are made of.”
He continued, “While I’m saddened that our time together was short, we will celebrate the bright light that he brought to our football team for the rest of our lives.”
“The entire UNI community extends its sincerest condolences to Parker’s family and friends during this difficult time,” the Northern Iowa athletic department said in a statement on Saturday. “A variety of support services are being made available to UNI students, faculty and staff.”
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A tight end from Iowa City, Parker played in four games during his freshman season in 2025.
Parker’s high school football coach, Mitch Moore, told the Des Moines Register that Parker was a larger-than-life figure because of the way he lived his life” and “took so much pride in being a positive influence to the young kids in our community.”
“He was put on this earth to make everybody better and he certainly did,” Moore said.
A celebration of life will be held for Parker on Sunday, February 22.
