Iowa band members perform emotional halftime show in honor of former bandmate who collapsed in Week 1
By Adam Spencer
Published:
An Iowa band member, Derek Phillips, tragically passed away on Tuesday after collapsing in the heat during the Hawkeyes’ season-opening game against Northern Illinois last Saturday.
Phillips suffered cardiac arrest after collapsing in the extreme heat right before the band was supposed to perform the Week 1 halftime show. His family made the difficult decision to take him off life support on Tuesday.
The Hawkeyes hosted rival Iowa State on Saturday night, and the band performed in honor of Phillips at halftime. They spelled out “Derek” at one point.
And, as you can see below, it was very emotional for everyone involved:
“Derek Phillips was our mellophone section leader, a beloved member of the School of Music horn studio, and the kind of friend, student, and musician that represents the very best of what it means to be a Hawkeye,” the band said in a statement it posted to social media during the week.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz issued a statement during his weekly press conference expressing condolences to the band and the Phillips family: “On behalf of everybody associated with our program, just want to offer our thoughts, our condolences to his family, his friends, and all the people that he impacted in his life.”
On the field, the Hawkeyes pulled off a narrow 16-13 win over their in-state rivals to claim the CyHawk Trophy for the first time since 2021 (the 2023 win was vacated).
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
