U.S. Service Member Rushed To Hospital For Life Threatening Injury After Falling From Rope During Pregame Demonstration At College Football Game

A military service member was transported to a hospital after he fell while attempting to rappel from the rafters of the Alamodome during a pregame demonstration before UTSA’s football game against Navy on Saturday.

As part of a pregame ceremony for UTSA’s annual Salute to Armed Forces & Veterans game, four officers were set to rappel down to the field 15 minutes before kickoff. The officer appeared to lose control while descending, sliding down the line and crashing to the turf.

Medical personnel immediately attended to the officer, and he was taken from the Alamodome on a stretcher and transported to a local hospital.

The rappel team was from Detachment 2 of the 6th Combat Training Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Camp Bullis, a UTSA spokesperson confirmed to ESPN.

Officials have not released the service member’s identity or the extent of their injuries. The school said it is activating well-being services to support faculty, staff and student who might be emotionally affected by the incident.

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A military member fell while rappelling to present the colors before Saturday’s UTSA–Navy game at the Alamodome. The patient was taken to the hospital as a priority-one transport; the extent of their injuries is unclear. https://t.co/x3umwndMG0

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 18, 2026

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We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at the start of tonight’s football game. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the soldier who was affected, his family and his military colleagues.

We recognize that members of our campus community may be emotionally… pic.twitter.com/thionZrA4T

— UT San Antonio (@UTSA) October 18, 2026

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We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at the start of tonight’s football game. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the soldier who was affected, his family and his military colleagues.

We recognize that members of our campus community may be emotionally affected by this incident and are activating wellbeing services to support our faculty, staff and students.

Click to expand...

A military service member was taken to a nearby trauma center with life-threatening injuries after falling to the Alamodome field in a botched rappel from the rafters before a UTSA football game Saturday night, a spokesman for San Antonio EMS confirmed.

Video posted on social media shows the man descending quickly on a rappel rope and crashing to the turf near midfield. After being loaded onto a stretcher, San Antonio EMS took him to the hospital as a priority one situation, the level used for life-threatening injuries or illnesses, the EMS spokesman said.

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