Cause Of Death Of University of Minnesota Duluth Football Player Reed Ryan, 22, Determined To Be ‘Undetected Heart Condition’

Reed Ryan, a University of Minnesota Duluth senior defensive end, died at 22 on November 28.

Ryan passed away at Essentia Health in Duluth. He was in the hospital after collapsing due to an undetected genetic heart condition. 

UMD head football coach Curt Wiese said in a statement the university staff and players were “devastated” by Ryan’s death.

“Reed aspired to be better every day at whatever task was at hand,” Wiese said. “He helped bring out the best in others with his positive attitude, infectious smile, and genuine care for the people around him. We were fortunate to have Reed on our team, and he made our program, our department, and our community a better place in a short period of time.”

Ryan was a native of Waunakee, Wisconsin, and graduated from high school in 2019. Throughout his high school football career, he had 147 tackles and 34 sacks. Before his time at UMD, He spent four seasons with the North Dakota University football program. 

Academically, Ryan was a double major in marketing and professional sales. While on the field this season, he had seven tackles and assisted another eight tackles in nine games.