Last week the results of an autopsy affirmed that former Missouri football player Aaron O’Neal died from viral meningitis after a voluntary workout in July. As family members raised questions about his immediate care, many Syracuse athletes took the field this summer reminded of how dangerous their sport can be.

‘It was a sad thing,’ offensive lineman Jason Greene said. ‘It’s definitely a wakeup call and it’s something you always think about.’

Though Syracuse begins its fourth week of organized practice today, most football players have been on campus all summer taking classes and participating in voluntary workouts.

Several players said the tragedy at Missouri reminded them of former Minnesota Viking Korey Stringer, who died from heatstroke during a workout in August of 2001. Though SU doesn’t hold training camp in the South, where daily temperatures can hover around 100 degrees, keeping hydrated was always a concern.

‘The coaches here always forced it into my head that you always gotta drink,’ offensive lineman Quinn Ojinnaka said as he sipped a Gatorade early last week after a morning workout. ‘Keeping hydrated is so important. I make sure I drink a gallon of water a day.’

Though Ojinnaka said the old coaching staff under Paul Pasqualoni encouraged players to drink a lot, he said Gatorade has been more prevalent around the athletic facilities this summer.

Summer workout safety was clearly on head coach Greg Robinson’s mind as he addressed reporters on Aug. 10 at SU’s annual Football Media Day. Mobbed by television cameras, one of the first subjects he addressed was the weather.

‘Today, it’s about 86 (degrees) right now and the humidity is up,’ he said. ‘In Texas, it’s just hotter and more humid, but I don’t think it’s gonna be an issue. I think our players are prepared for this. Our job as coaches is to educate our players to hydrate themselves.’

Senior defensive end Ryan LaCasse said the athletic training staff makes sure each player weighs himself before and after every practice. If they see a loss of three or four pounds or more, the player is given an IV.

‘Every once in a while there will be a guy who didn’t eat right or who didn’t drink enough,’ LaCasse said. ‘I usually have to get up three or four times each night to use the bathroom. I drink a gallon or two of water every day.’

Greene said players were eager to begin voluntary workouts this summer because they wanted to impress the new coaching staff. In years past, he said some players have skipped out, but Greene estimated 95 percent of the team made it to campus this summer.

A sign of the increased dedication was a simple 100-yard sprint drill in which linemen have to make it in less than 19 seconds. Greene said beating the time was never a problem this summer.

‘Right from the get-go, seniors wanted to get things going,’ junior punter Brendan Carney said. ‘These guys are responding immediately from last winter right into the summer.’ As the team moves into the final week of preparation before its season opener against West Virginia, Ojinnaka hopes all that work pays off.

‘We had fun out there, but we also worked hard,’ Ojinnaka said. ‘The atmosphere around here is real good. We’re definitely more united.’

Published on August 28, 2005 at 12:00 pm