Fred Thompson, Oregon State Football Player Dies At 19

Oregon State Football Player Dies Of Heart Attack At 19

Oregon State defensive tackle Fred Thompson died of an apparent heart attack Wednesday night after he collapsed while playing basketball at a campus recreation center.
Thompson was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 7 p.m. local time.

The university said it planned to hold a news conference Thursday to discuss the freshman defensive tackle’s death.

Brandon Sprague, a local reporter, tweeted that he “talked with Fred a month ago. Told him a lot of people thought he could be a BIG time player at OSU. He just looked at me wide-eyed and said, ‘Man, just being here is a blessing. The fact that people believe in me, means everything.'”