The University of Northern Iowa football team is grieving after the sudden death of 18 year old tight end Parker Sutherland. The freshman player collapsed during a team workout on Thursday, February 12, and passed away two days later on Saturday, February 14. Head coach Todd Stepsis shared the update during a press conference on Monday, February 16. He said the team had just finished its normal warm up when something went wrong.
“We get right through our warm-up in a routine, normal Thursday and he collapsed,” Todd Stepsis told reporters. “For whatever reason, right after that warm-up, something happened. We’re not really sure what it was.” First responders arrived at the football facility that morning.
Parker Sutherland was taken to a local hospital. As of now, no official cause of death has been shared. The loss has shaken the UNI campus and the Iowa football community.
Todd Stepsis, Adam Sutherland and Mitch Moore share emotional words about Parker Sutherland
On Monday, students, teammates and coaches gathered on campus to remember Parker Sutherland. His father, Adam Sutherland, spoke during the memorial and shared simple, loving memories of his son.
“I mean that poor kid, he didn’t even know how good looking he was,” Adam Sutherland 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. ”
Coach Todd Stepsis also spoke through tears.
“If I could have 110 Parkers I would,” he said. “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.”
In an earlier statement on Saturday, Todd 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.”
The Northern Iowa athletic department also released a statement offering support to students and staff. Parker Sutherland, who was from Iowa City, played in four games during his freshman season in 2025. His high school 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.
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“He was put on this earth to make everybody better and he certainly did,” Mitch Moore said.
A celebration of life is set for Sunday, February 22, as family, friends and teammates prepare to honor his memory.
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