1990: Death of Hank Gathers, ESPN News Coverage from SportsCenter

[FutureNewsAnchor]

Gathers fatally collapsed after performing his trademark dunk off an alley-oop with 13:34 to play in the opening half of the March 4, 1990 WCC quarterfinal game versus Portland.

[edgargiosano]

Class act, RIP Hank.......

[GialloHorror]

What a tragedy. Gathers had so much heart, no pun intended. He worked his ass off. He would've been a great NBA player.

Bo Kimble was really effected by Gathers's death. I don't think Kimble was ever the same after this

[xtracool32]

The Good Ol' Days of ESPN. Before they started hiring those "no talent" anchors, who stink up the joint.

[GialloHorror]

@xtracool32 Yes, indeed. ESPN got too big, and commercialized for their own good. I don't watch ESPN anymore. With The NFL, MLB and NBA networks on TV, I'll get my news and updates from those channels.

ESPN has no clue

[xtracool32]

@GialloHorror The only time I watch espn, nowadays, is when their is a game on the network that I want to watch. And even that is is hard to do. All they do is promote their product all game long. How many times do they say the word "espn" during the telecast. Way too much. They also are in bed with the world of sports. If you want to hear criticism of athletes when they screw up, you have to somewhere else. 10 years ago I thought espn was the greatest thing ever. Now I have done a 180.

[expsteve]

Lionel Simmons and Doug Overton certainly respected Hank. La Salle was affected for sure

[TheOnlyBadkid]

He did take steroids

[MacDaddy635]

@FutureNewsAnchor I am glad that you picked up something so insignificant in the story. A great man has died and you pick up that, yea u will be a great news anchor, grow a heart

[FutureNewsAnchor]

@MacDaddy635 I have a heart. It beats quite well, thank you.

[jbobbster]

I admire the fact that Hank stuck around the extra year to earn his degree, instead of turning pro early. You don't see that in today's college game. So even if he couldn't have made it in the NBA because of his heart condition, he would have had something to fall back on. R.I.P. Hank Gathers

[RobertStepanek]

On footage of Gathers' final game you can see current Miami Heat coach and then Portland Pilot point guard Erik Spoelstra, wearing number 30, who was on court when Gathers collapsed. While a number of collegiate teams wore black bands over the left shoulder of their uniforms in honor of Gathers after this, Portland was wearing them during this game, suggesting someone from their University was already being memorialized posthumously - anyone know who?

[7csilva]

@RobertStepanek who?

[dvharris75]

Back in those day this was a VERY big deal.

Stuff like this didnt happen back then.

[38106chick]

I remember this broadcast like it was yesterday :(

[rhythm61]

Hank gathers had an exercise induced dangerous arrhythmia that could be partially suppressed by medication that blocked the effects of adrenalin/epinephrine. He decreased his dose and I believe stopped it altogether because he felt that it slowed him down - it probably did.

He died in part because no one knew how to use the defibrillator that they had at the sidelines.

Today he would likely have had an implantable defibrillator with an automatic defib AED at the sidelines.

[flipgood89]

This is heartwrenching....R.I.P Hank

[eliezerberry]

I was at the game vs Portland where Hank Gathers died.

He slam dunked and ran up the court, collapsed at half court.

His mother ran out on the court, frantic, as he was attended to.

The whole crowd was shocked.

This was in the first half, the game was stopped, and then canceled, we were all told to go home.

It was an unbelievable thing to experience.

Later that night we found out he had died on the TV news.

My friend and I who both attended the game were just sick to our stomachs.

[rhythm61]

@eliezerberry

can you tell me at what point they started CPR and when and if they used a defibrillator. I read his EKG strips but only have third hand info regarding the incident - I would like it second hand.

While in training I saw the rhythm strips for Hank Gathers, Reggie Lewis, and Len Bias. All were partly culpable in their deaths and had warnings, which many people do not. Gathers was the least culpable and Bias the most (cocaine). Lewis saw one a world expert in rhythms and dissed him.

[eliezerberry]

@rhythm61 My recollection, they did not use either CPR or defibrillator while he was still lying on the court.

He had a small crowd around him pretty fast, several people hurrying to him, one or two at a time from different places in the gym.

They managed to get him on a stretcher, and got him thru the doors out of the gym to the outside air, and at that point nobody in the stands could see anything. So yes, there was a bit of a wait until anyone used CPR or the defibrillator.



[rockinriver7]

how do you even dislike this???

[vaibanez17]

This is just what happened to that kid from Fennville High School in Michigan. They need to give kids going into junior high and high school sports a much more thorough physical and check for things like enlarged heart...it can definitely be a killer when over-worked.

[rhythm61]

@vaibanez17

some of these rhythms only occur with exercise and the ekg at rest and echocardiogram may be normal. Reggie Lewis had a similar issue but declined recommended therapy.

[dolphinbuc]

This was a wake up call to all people with heart problems.

[qgreen100]

I was born the day he died

[PhillyPartTwo]

@alex4tess You're an ass. Hank did not do steroids, he had a heart condition from birth.

[iShavedYesterday]

@PhillyPartTwo You are both wrong. Many professional athletes and weight trainers have some degree of athletes heart; an enlargment of the heart due to rigorous cardiovascular workouts. Unfortunately, Gathers' heart was too big for what he did. He PROBABLY didn't do steriods and certainly wasn't born with an enlarged heart. If he was born with an enlarged heart, he would have been dead before the age 13.

[StilezC]

@alex4tess you are stupid as fuck. he had a heart problem.

[frankrizzo51]

@alex4tess I think it was hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Those are two completely different things. Please learn to spell, also.

[FutureNewsAnchor]

Dan Patrick mentioned that in light of Gathers' death, the WCC cancelled the remainder of its tournament. Who ended up clinching the automatic berth in the NCAA Championship that year, then?

[PhillyPartTwo]

@FutureNewsAnchor It was based on regular season record, and LMU had won the WAC regular season championship. Some similar actions occurred in minor league baseball after 9/11.

[38106chick]

@PhillyPartTwo That is correct. They did get the automatic berth (based on the regular season) and made it to the Elite Eight before losing to UNLV, the eventual NCAA Champions. I was pulling for UNLV to win it all that year. However, after Hank's death, I think deep down everyone was pulling LMU to go as far as possible.

[MLBFan2010]

We never forget Hank Gathers Death :(

[FutureNewsAnchor]

This is one of the very last times that we'd see Chris Berman as a full-time SportsCenter anchor. He would cut back his schedule to focus on NFL football and Major League Baseball (they had just gotten the contract to do Sunday and Wednesday night games.)

[cauchamar]

@FutureNewsAnchor

Your comment reads like Berman is a legend and you're documenting some important historical trivia. Berman is a fat useless blowhard who everyone hates. If he's a legend it's in his own mind. ESPN hype will make him out to be some legendary broadcaster, but yea - no. He sucks. You're an idiot.

[FutureNewsAnchor]

@cauchamar Facts are facts. Fact: Chris Berman joined ESPN in October of 1979, anchoring SportsCenter from then until early 1990. Fact: Chris Berman resigned as a PERMANENT (key word) SportsCenter anchor to focus on his baseball and football responsibilities in 1990. Opinion: You say I'm an idiot.

[cauchamar]

@FutureNewsAnchor

That's a complete non sequitur. Since you probably don't know what that means, I'll explain. What you said has nothing to do with what I said. I'm not disputing the facts in your initial post. I'm saying that posting those facts at all, and the tone in which you posted them, shows that you have a mistaken impression of Chris Berman's historical significance as a broadcaster. I just noticed your name is FutureNewsAnchor. Way to reinforce stereotypes?

[FutureNewsAnchor]

@cauchamar It's sad that you attack me when I was just trying to point out information that's of some relevance to this video which features Boomer.

[cauchamar]

@FutureNewsAnchor

No, it really is of no relevance at all. This is a video about Hank Gathers and his tragic death. Similarly, a comment posted in a video about 9/11 news coverage all about whichever TV hack happened to be doing the news that day, would be not relevant. Berman is a fat hack.

[FutureNewsAnchor]

@cauchamar Shut your mouth. Boomer's the man!

[yayo7182002]

This broke my heart...I saw Gathers drop 44 on LSU with Shaq and Stanely Roberts TRYING to guard him...RIP Hank..

[MissDeeCole]

what a tragedy this was

[unicronrocks]

I watched all of this happen on Sportscenter live. Sad sad situation....RIP Hank.

[OmNomNom101Huns]

VVV so?

[SCUBroncos111]

Hank Gathers passed away the day I was born.

[clongprong]

I'm not a basketball fan (never have been) but I remember seeing "Final Shot" and thinking how sad it was that this guy's life ended before it really started. I was deeply touched by the story of your life and passing Hank. May you rest in peace. God bless those who love him.

[wonderglory]

Hank Gathers died one week after my dad passed away.

[refused76]

44 Forever.

[twomuchcocoa]

so sad :(

[LakersAndFarmarFan]

RIP, also hope you feel better Rodney Stuckey

[stonez02]

Indeed. the incidents are so similar. Wish Stuckey a speedy recovery

[LakersAndFarmarFan]

ya, feel better stuckey

[6foot5blackman]

20 years ago I was at college and we all just sat there in total shock. God rest Hank's soul!!!

[xcrimstudiosonly]

DEP :(

[gleesocks]

jeez already 20 years

[Swanton18]

RIP :(

[sulidos]

RIP