On Dec. 4, NASO President Bill Topp presented a Great Call Award to several members of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside athletic department. Topp presented the award to the staff during halftime of a men’s basketball game, honoring them for life-saving measures they performed on a soccer referee on Sept. 14 (see “Getting It Right” in this month’s magazine for more).
Those honored with the award were UW-Parkside men’s soccer player Jamie Le Comte, men’s soccer coach Jason Zitzke, athletic trainer Kaela Johnson and assistant athletic director Ryan Ridley.
The four of them played a crucial role in saving the life of soccer referee Olu Afuwape, who suffered cardiac arrest during the second half of the home-opening soccer match against Upper Iowa University in September.
Afuwape collapsed near midfield, and Le Comte, who was on the field near where Afuwape went down, immediately called to the sidelines for help before rushing to Afuwape’s side to check on him.
Johnson, who was on the sidelines, rushed onto the field and, using an AED machine, was able to bring Afuwape back.
In a moment of chaos, the UW-Parkside players, coaches and staff brought calm to the situation and performed life-saving measures to ensure a happy outcome.
“Their heroic actions are inspiring, and on behalf of the entire officiating community, we thank them.”
– Bill Topp
“It was great to be back on campus for such a worthwhile event, honoring those who jumped into action to save a soccer referee in distress,” said Topp, who is also a UW-Parkside alum. “Their heroic actions are inspiring, and on behalf of the entire officiating community, we thank them.”
The four recipients of the Great Call Award, as well as the entire men’s soccer team, were celebrated at midcourt during halftime, something for which Ridley and the athletic staff were very appreciative.
“It was a great honor to receive the award, but I was also thankful we could use this opportunity to bring attention to the importance of CPR and first aid training,” he said. “I was also glad that Kaela was able to get the recognition she deserved, not only for her actions that day, but also as an athletic trainer in general.”
NASO’s Great Call Award recognizes a “great call” in the sense that what was done makes those of us in officiating feel good. Often what took place could be considered “small” in scope and duration but quite “large” in its impact on someone or to officiating in a general sense.
The award is unique in that it is often given in recognition of officials demonstrating community spirit, or in this particular instance, athletic personnel saving the life of an official
