High School Football Coach Suffers In-Game Heart Attack, Coaches Through It, Survives

Earlier this year when UMass canceled their football season, Walt Bell had what I thought was going to be the quote of the year.

The ultimate football guy quote. Fuck you, mom and dad! UMass football getting canceled ruined my entire LIFE. Haven't thought of you since I buried you 6 feet under!

Walt Bell was the leader in the house for Football Guy of the year.....and then a new leader emerged this past weekend:

SOURCE-Hayes is the head coach at St. John’s Catholic Prep in Buckeyestown, Md., and on Saturday Hayes coached half his team’s game while suffering a prolonged heart attack.

Hayes began feeling symptoms at halftime, when a blood clot began blocking an artery that connects to his heart’s left ventricle. Thinking it was indigestion, Hayes texted his wife Kelly to see if she had any mints, but otherwise he kept coaching. Hayes remained on the sideline through the second half, through the postgame and even conducted an interview before seeking medical attention.

I've never had a heart attack. I plan on never having one. However, to think that you could be having a heart attack and think "ah, I just need some mints" is wild. 

There are two different breeds of human beings. High school/college coaches and then regular humans. You probably don't understand how it is possible to coach through a heart attack. That's because you aren't a football coach. You just wouldn't get it. Don't even try. Go back to your normal, boring life.

Hayes’ players and assistants didn’t know anything was wrong with their head coach. In fact, their only clue that he was experiencing symptoms of a disease that kills one American every 36 seconds is that he acted calmer than usual on the sidelines.

“I didn’t know,” said Vikings assistant coach Kevin O’Rourke. “We’re on the headphones, we’re talking, we’re coaching football. He never stopped.

“In fact, I remarked to another coach last night after the game that he seemed the calmest he had ever been coaching,” O’Rourke said. “He’s quite animated, he’s passionate. You know, he’s a football coach.”

Is your local high school coach acting….normal? Not screaming on the sideline like a schoolboy? Well, you may want to check on his heart, because he may be suffering a heart attack. It's up to you.