S. Fla. Ref Collapses, Dies During Preseason Game

BOCA RATON (CBSMiami/AP) — A South Florida man who refereed high school football and baseball games for more than a decade died after he collapsed on the field during a preseason football game.

Jerry Lohmann suffered an apparent heart attack during the second quarter of the Friday night game at Olympic Heights High School, officials said.

Al LeMay, an assistant coach for the visiting team and a retired firefighter, administered CPR to the 73-year-old referee, who was then carted off the field on a stretcher. Lohmann was transported to West Boca Medical Center, where he later died, said Yetta Greene, athletic specialist for the Palm Beach County School District.

Greene said the school community was saddened by the loss.

"It's very traumatic for everybody," she said.  "Jerry loved sports and he loved being around the students and helping them be able to play their games. He was a kind and caring individual."

Fellow referees and friends said that they were stunned by Lohmann's death and described him as a healthy man who ran 10 miles a day.

"He was extremely fit," said Carlos Carles, a longtime referee and close friend. "He was probably one of the most fit individuals in our association."

Lohmann was a 10-year veteran of the Western Communities Football League. Gus Pasquale, the league's president, said a moment of silence was held before Saturday's games.

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