A University of Minnesota student was injured during a halftime competition at Friday afternoon's Gophers vs. UCLA women's basketball game, requiring medical attention and delaying the start of the second half by several minutes.
The student was wearing a sumo suit as part of a relay race and appeared to hit his head at the finish line.
He was wearing a hockey helmet, but the unspecified injury was severe enough that attendants cut the suit off of him and took him off the court on a stretcher.
The official Twitter feed of the women's basketball program said the student is a member of the school's band.
Two members of the band identified the injured student as Jeffrey Denmark, a sophomore from Eagan who is a member of the drum line.
Sophomore Jory Shragg of Wayzata, another band member taking part in the halftime race, said Denmark "was kind of spinning around on the way in, and instead of falling forward, fell backwards and hit his head."
A medical team was brought in immediately, and Schragg said he didn't know anything beyind that Denmark had been taken to a hospital.
Eric Schmitt, a freshman band member, said he was only a couple of feet from Denmark when he fell.
"He was responsive and smiling when he left the court," Schmitt said. "The helmet is definitely what saved him."
