Todd Doxey, a redshirt freshman rover from San Diego, died Sunday afternoon after drowning in the McKenzie River.
According to a release from the Oregon sports information department, Doxey joined several teammates who were inner tubing down the river, but jumped off the Marcola Road Bridge after his teammates were downstream. He jumped at around 3:20 p.m. but struggled to swim across the current.
After being picked out of the water by a boater coming down the river, he was given CPR on the shore. He was initially taken to McKenzie-Willamette Hospital in Springfield before being transferred to Sacred Heart Hospital, where Doxey was pronounced dead at 8:05 p.m.
“Anytime a young man or woman dies, it’s just a tragedy,” Oregon head football coach Mike Bellotti said. “My heart goes out to his family and to our players, some whom were there and some who will find out about it later. This is just one of those things we don’t have answers for.”
Doxey is survived by parents Todd and Gladys Doxey, and his two brothers and a sister. He was named scout team player of the week four consecutive weeks during the 2007 season, which he redshirted.