University of Northern Iowa (UNI) football player Parker Sutherland died Saturday morning at the age of 18, the university announced.
In a press release, UNI Director of Athletics Megan Franklin described it as a “heartbreaking day” for the university. Sutherland was described as accepting “the opportunity to play Panther football and represent the University through athletics.”
Sutherland was described as bringing a “bright light” to the football team.
“It is a heartbreaking day for our Panther Athletics family with the passing of our Parker Sutherland,” Franklin said. “He jumped at the opportunity to play Panther football and represent the University through sports. We are devastated, just devastated.”
Sutherland, who was described as an “Iowa native,” had “appeared in four games at tight end during his first season with the Panthers in 2025,” according to the news release.
As a senior at Iowa City High School, Sutherland “was a second-team all-state player” and also “stood out” in basketball and baseball, according to the news release.
UNI head coach Todd Stepsis said Sutherland “embodied everything the university looks for in a UNI Football Panther.”
“His talent and potential excited us every day, but it didn’t compare to the type of person and teammate he was,” Stepsis added. “His character, humility, toughness and genuine love for others is what champions are made of.”
Adam Amdor, who serves as the university’s “deputy director of communications,” revealed to the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier that earlier in the week, on Thursday, “Cedar Falls Fire & Rescue responded to a call at the UNI Athletics facility.”
CBS 2 Iowa reported that, according to “multiple sources,” Suther allegedly “collapsed during a workout that day.”
