George Boiardi
Encyclopedia
Mario St. George Boiardi, Jr. (July 30, 1981 – March 17, 2004) was a lacrosse
player for Cornell University
. He was also the great grandson of food icon Ettore Boiardi
, founder of Chef Boyardee
.
Bioardi was the Cornell lacrosse team
's rookie
of the year as a freshman, and, as a senior, its co-captain. He was an 11-time letter winner at prep school Landon
in Bethesda, Maryland
: 4 in lacrosse; 4 in hockey
; 3 in football
. The Washington Post named him to its All-Metropolitan football team in 1998 and 1999.
In the fourth quarter of a game against Binghamton University
, Boiardi stepped in front of a ball that had been fired by a Binghamton player, and was struck in the chest. He collapsed, and was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Due to family request, an official cause of death was never released.
In several similar cases, fatal injuries are caused by a rare syndrome known as commotio cordis
, in which cardiac arrest
is induced by a blunt, non-penetrating blow to the chest. It is not known whether this, or a different cause, led to this tragedy. Since 1999, four other players have died under similar circumstances. His death has stirred calls for improved safety measures.
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
player for Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. He was also the great grandson of food icon Ettore Boiardi
Ettore Boiardi
Ettore "Hector" Boiardi was the Italian-born chef famous for his eponymous brand of food products, named Chef Boyardee.-Early life:Boiardi was born in Piacenza, Italy, to Giuseppe and Maria Maffi Boiardi...
, founder of Chef Boyardee
Chef Boyardee
Chef Boyardee is a brand of canned pasta products sold internationally by ConAgra Foods. Named after its founder, Italian-American immigrant Ettore Boiardi, the company began production in the United States in the 1920s...
.
Bioardi was the Cornell lacrosse team
Cornell Big Red men's lacrosse
The Cornell Big Red Men's Lacrosse team represents Cornell University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse. Cornell competes as a member of the Ivy League, of which they have won 23 conference championships. The Big Red have appeared in the NCAA tournament 22...
's rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
of the year as a freshman, and, as a senior, its co-captain. He was an 11-time letter winner at prep school Landon
Landon School
The Landon School is a private, nonsectarian, college preparatory school for boys in grades 3-12, with an enrollment of approximately 675 students. The school sits on in Bethesda, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.-Background:...
in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
: 4 in lacrosse; 4 in hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
; 3 in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
. The Washington Post named him to its All-Metropolitan football team in 1998 and 1999.
In the fourth quarter of a game against Binghamton University
Binghamton University
Binghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
, Boiardi stepped in front of a ball that had been fired by a Binghamton player, and was struck in the chest. He collapsed, and was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Due to family request, an official cause of death was never released.
In several similar cases, fatal injuries are caused by a rare syndrome known as commotio cordis
Commotio cordis
Commotio cordis is a disruption of heart rhythm that occurs as a result of a blow to the area directly over the heart , at a critical time during the cycle of a heart beat. It is a form of ventricular fibrillation, not mechanical damage to the heart muscle or surrounding organs, and not the result...
, in which cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
is induced by a blunt, non-penetrating blow to the chest. It is not known whether this, or a different cause, led to this tragedy. Since 1999, four other players have died under similar circumstances. His death has stirred calls for improved safety measures.