When Brian Bobek fell ill following a Saturday scrimmage in spring 2013, the Gophers offensive lineman would be exhausted from climbing a staircase. He thought it was a bad case of the flu.
"He felt like he ran a mile because he was completely out of breath," his father, Jeff Bobek, said.
But the Gophers training staff worried something worse was going on and was monitoring his vital signs. By the following Tuesday, they had Bobek admitted to the University hospital.
After multiple tests, Bobek was diagnosed with viral myocarditis, an inflammation of the muscular wall of the heart, which in severe cases can cause heart attacks and strokes.