Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The final memory for 71-year-old Greg Magruder before he died at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium is seeing the people that he cherishes most walking ahead of him.

He recalls his wife, Karen, not too far in front. Beyond Karen, Greg can see his son, Andrew, and Andrew's fiancé, Rachel, who were visiting from Asheville, N.C. They had Andrew's three children — Noah, Kendall and Blake — in tow for their first Gators football game.

It had been a celebratory week for the Magruder family, with Andrew and Noah celebrating birthdays and the Florida-Charlotte game on Sept. 23 as a perfect weekend family outing.

But not long after entering Gate 7 at The Swamp and trudging up the spiral walkway to their seats in the north end zone, Greg Magruder ran out of breath. Each step seemed impossible. He stopped, leaned on a nearby wall, and dropped his head into his arm.

When Karen turned to check on his progress, her husband of 50 years collapsed to the ground.

"I do not remember stopping or falling,'' Greg said.

Karen raced toward Greg, terrified at what she saw next.

"His eyes looked like he was gone,'' Karen said. "All I could think of is that I had lost my go-to person."

As Karen screamed for nearby fans to call 911, someone told her the call had already been made. First responders nearby raced to the scene and began working on Greg within a couple of minutes.

He did not have a pulse. He was not breathing. Greg Magruder, a retired pastor who moved to Florida 23 years ago from Ohio, was clinically dead.
   
The race to save Magruder's life started as soon as the fan called 911, and included a wide-ranging team that consisted of members from Alachua County Fire Rescue, UF Health, the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, the University Athletic Association and various other departments involved in game-day operations at a UF sporting event.

When the Magruder family parked at Carolyn Parker Beatrice Elementary School a few blocks from the stadium that fateful day, they were unaware of the preparation involved in handling an incident such as the one Greg experienced.

Now, they are eternally grateful.

"One of our main jobs is to ensure that in the field, whether it's at the stadium or out in the real world at your home, we're delivering the care to your front door,'' said Dr. Alison Leung, a UF Health emergency physician involved in Magruder's resuscitation. "Greg was in cardiac arrest, meaning that his heart was stopped. More specifically, he was in a rhythm called ventricular fibrillation, which is luckily a very survivable cardiac arrest." Leung and fellow UF Health emergency physician Dr. Jason Jones were in a meeting when they received word of Magruder's medical emergency. While the stadium filled with excited fans and roared with the noises of game day, Leung and Jones blocked out the potential distractions.

They put their training into action and rushed to the scene.

"Even though on game day it looks like chaos and tons of fans, it's really thoughtfully designed,'' said Jones, who serves as medical director of ACFR. "We have eight medical stations strategically placed throughout the stadium. That's what makes it work."

Meanwhile, a team of paramedics reached Magruder, performed life-saving measures to restart his heart, and transported him by an ACFR ambulance to UF Health. They are names Magruder did not know when he woke up on Sept. 23: Megan Beville, Chris Beaton, Christopher Allenburg, Alyssa Hardin, Zak Robbins, Taylor Justice, Robert Sullivan, Caitlyn Chapman, Trenton Skiver and Zeke Hatfield.

Thirty-eight days later, when the Magruders returned to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Greg and Karen stood on the sidewalk by the Heisman statues outside The Swamp on a gorgeous late October afternoon to meet them and offer their appreciation.

Greg walked with the assistance of a cane and had two new stents in his heart, but he wore a smile and brought hugs to share.

"I'm thankful to be alive every day, and you guys are a big part of that,'' Greg told them. "I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart."

The medical personnel relayed their memories of the day. Greg and Karen listened intently to learn about things they missed in the frantic moments after Greg collapsed.

Hardin and Allenburg arrived on an emergency golf cart equipped with a stretcher right after Beaton and Beville responded.

Their proximity to Magruder and the resources on site undoubtedly played a critical role in saving his life. Magruder received CPR and chest compressions from those first to arrive and then was shocked by a defibrillator to restart his heart.

"I was driving pretty quick to get us there,'' said Allenburg, whose initial duty on the scene was to get an airway. "This was a rare instance. We usually have online medical call control, where we always have a doctor a phone call away. But at the football games, they actually walk around and are present, so our medical team was present, and kind of whispered in our ear while we were working on this patient.

"We just had that teamwork right there."

Hardin served as code leader during Magruder's cardiac arrest until Leung arrived. She and Allenburg regularly work Gator football games and, similar to the recollections of others involved, she said her training took over amid the chaotic scene as fans gathered around to see what was happening.

"We just filled in where we needed to," Hardin said. "I went straight to getting a rhythm working on monitor. The logistics are all figured out behind the scenes, so we can do what we need. I don't think we could have done it without our team."

Magruder's heart restarted after the initial shock from the defibrillator and he was immediately transported to UF Health. There, emergency physicians quickly stabilized a dangerous condition called cardiogenic shock and applied a device that rapidly cooled his body temperature to help his organs regain normal function.

Magruder spent 11 days in the hospital, where he underwent surgery to put in the stents and a new pacemaker. He said he has no memory from the time he collapsed until waking up four days later in the hospital. But he was not forgotten. Magruder appreciated phone calls from Gators Athletic Director Scott Stricklin and Joe Raulerson, security and guest services director for the UAA. The first memory he has after his cardiac arrest is waking up on the Tuesday after the game and seeing Karen and their daughter, Eva, in the room.

Chip Howard, UF deputy athletic director who oversees game operations at The Swamp, said Magruder's story is one of those best-case scenarios when the plan works as designed.

"When a fan comes into one of our venues, we feel responsible for them," Howard said. "That responsibility is something we take very seriously. We work as hard as we can on game days so our fans feel safe and they won't have to worry."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UF Health (@ufhealth)

 

Greg Magruder became a Gators fan three decades ago soon after moving to Gainesville for a job as pastor at Parkview Baptist Church. He typically attends a game each season.

Magruder's connection to the Gators is framed much differently today than the typical fan. The Gators mean much more than a football team in his mind and heart.

"I wasn't aware of the extent of the Gator rescue teams,'' Greg said. "That's very important. In my case, had they not been close by, I probably would have died. I think it's essential to have this rescue team in place.

"I can't say enough about their care. I'm so impressed with their skill, their commitment, their concern."


Since he suffered heart failure due to arterial blockage, Magruder receives physical therapy at home and recently got a stationary bike for exercise. He and Karen take walks to build up his strength.

He is slowly regaining his health.

The Magruders have much to celebrate on Thanksgiving this week. They thank God. They thank the first responders. They thank the doctors. They thank anyone who touched their lives on the day Greg died and was resuscitated by a team of Gators they didn't even know existed when they headed for The Swamp on a warm September day.

"They were all one unit working together to save somebody,'' Karen said. "The way that they did that was miraculous. The people at Florida, the fans that come here every game day, they don't realize what UF has in place. I think people need to know that. If they had not responded so quickly, he could have died, and I would have been left alone."

One by one, as they met to share an afternoon, the Magruders heard the same message from those who responded to help on the most frightening days of their lives.

This Gators team was doing its job.

"The reason we have a success story like this is that every link in that chain of survival was strong,'' Jones said. "The only way someone survives something like this is that everyone did their best in a tough situation.

"It's nice to be able to talk about a win instead of the other outcome."