Texas A&M Player Died From Blood Clot

Aggies Mourn Loss Of Teammate, Prepare To Tackle Rival Texas

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Texas A&M Defensive Lineman Brandon Fails, 18, died Monday after collapsing in his dorm room.

An autopsy by the Travis County Medical Examiners office revealed that Fails died from a blood clot that travelled from his leg, to his lung.

Texas A&M Football Coach R.C. Slocum mentioned what he called a "tragedy on our team" during Monday's Big 12 coaches conference call.

Slocum said that Sunday night, Fails had dinner with his roommate and another friend and was feeling well, but when he woke up Monday morning, he felt ill. The coach said shortly after that -- Fails collapsed.

His roommate summoned emergency personnel to the dorm and Fails was taken to a Bryan hospital, where he later died.

Fails was a freshman student-athlete from Colleyville who played on the defensive line of the Aggie football team.

Coaches expected big things from the 6-foot-1, 307-pound defensive lineman who was often described as relentless on the football field.

During his senior year in high school, Fails was named Class 5-A Defensive Player of the Year and the Lone Star State's Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press.

When Fails made the transition from high school football to college, his former coach at Colleyville Heritage High School, Chuck Cunningham, had plenty to say in the student's favor. "He's a quality kid. I've known him for a long time, and the things that really stand out about Brandon to me have to do with his personality. He provided us with what I call 'quiet leadership.' He's not a big talker or outspoken guy, but he does have a great sense of humor and is just a neat guy to be around."

In his senior season, Fails registered 36 tackles and five sacks and forced three fumbles.

In extremely limited playing time this season, the freshman was in on two tackles against Louisiana Tech. Fails appeared in four games overall for the Aggies.

The Aggies are scheduled to play the University of Texas Friday. Three years ago the week leading up to the rivalry game was marred by the collapse of a traditional bonfire, which killed 12 people.

The tradition was restarted this week by a group of fans.

If you would like to make a contribution to the Brandon Fails Memorial Fund, all donations are being accepted at any Bank of America branch. Acct # 004798830805

Copyright 2002 by ClickOnDetroit.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.