Mitch Petrus, a former fullback and offensive guard at Arkansas who went on to play in the NFL, died Thursday night after suffering a heat-related illness, officials said.
Petrus, 32, died at 10:45 p.m. after being taken to Baptist Health Medical Center-North Little Rock, Pulaski County Coroner Gerone Hobbs said.
He said records indicate Petrus reported feeling ill after working all day outside and in his family's shop in Lonoke County. The cause of death was listed as heat stroke, Hobbs said.
A heat advisory was in effect for a large swath of Arkansas on Thursday including Lonoke County, where temperatures reached the low-to-mid 90s and the heat index made it feel hotter than 100 degrees, the National Weather Service said.