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http://news.aol.com/article/roof-collapses-at-cowboys-practice/459897
1
Cowboys Practice Arena Collapses
(May 2) - Cowboys special teams coach Joe
DeCamillis broke his back and 11 more
were injured when winds just shy of tornado
strength ripped through the roof of the
team’s indoor practice facility during a
rookie minicamp Saturday.
Former coach Dan Reeves, DeCamillis’ father-
in-law, said the first-year Dallas coach
has a couple of broken vertebrae in his lower
back.
“They say he’s lucky not to be paralyzed,”
said Reeves, adding that DeCamillis probably
will have surgery. The coach was seen
being removed on a stretcher wearing a
neck brace.
The storm hit while 27 players were going
through workouts. Officials say there were
about 70 people in the facility.
Of the 12 hospitalized, 10 were taken by
emergency vehicles and two went on their
own.
“Right now, I think we don’t have anybody
who is in a life-threatening situation,” Dr.
Paul Pepe, head of emergency medical services
for Dallas County, said.
The white, tent-like building is large
enough to be seen from miles away. It was
built in 2003, for Bill Parcells’ first season
as coach.
Storms often make loud noises inside the
so-called bubble, but this time overhead
lights swayed violently. One of the team’s
video staff was the first out the door, followed
by Nick Eatman of
DallasCowboys.com. Eatman was hit by
something and went down a few feet away,
then heard someone screaming for help. He
recognized it was Todd Archer of The Dallas
Morning News.
Eatman and colleague Josh Ellis tried freeing
Archer but the structure wouldn’t
budge. “It was like a car,” Eatman said.
Then safety DeAngelo Smith and linebacker
Brandon Williams were able to get it
up just enough for Archer to squirm out.
“All I saw was blue jerseys,” said Archer,
whose right elbow and legs were scraped. “I
was trapped, I couldn’t move. Then those
guys lifted it up — not very far, but I was
able to move from my side to my back. ...
Once I got out of there, I looked back and
the whole thing was down.”
Archer said that as he fled for shelter, other
players appeared to be stepping through
the debris looking for others in need of
help.
Eatman said one of the swaying lights
wound up more than two football fields
away. The giant blue star atop the building
lay crumpled on the ground. The storm
knocked out power at team headquarters
and splintered trees across the property.
Larry Rodriguez, a local television cameraman
who was in the news several years ago
after he was attacked by Kenny Rogers
while filming the former Texas Rangers
pitcher, was treated with six stitches for a
cut on a hand.
“We checked and we can’t find any other
damage than this particular location,” said
David Tull, an Irving police spokesman.
“The nearby area didn’t have any reports of
structural damage.”
Names and details of their injuries were not
released due to privacy rules.
“I saw it coming down and didn’t have time
to react,” secondary coach Dave Campo
said. “I hit the ground and was able to get
back up.”
The storm was producing winds measured
at 64 mph just before it struck the Cowboys
facility, said National Weather Service meteorologist
Joe Harris in Fort Worth. A
weak tornado is in the range of 65-110 mph,
according to NWS guidelines. Power was
knocked out for less than an hour.
“We’re lucky no one got electrocuted with
all the water in the building,” head coach
Wade Phillips said. “A couple of players
had minor injuries, but they were all right.”
This was the second of three scheduled
days of practices, but Sunday’s session was
canceled.
http://news.aol.com/article/roof-collapses-at-cowboys-practice/459897
1
Cowboys Practice Arena Collapses
(May 2) - Cowboys special teams coach Joe
DeCamillis broke his back and 11 more
were injured when winds just shy of tornado
strength ripped through the roof of the
team’s indoor practice facility during a
rookie minicamp Saturday.
Former coach Dan Reeves, DeCamillis’ father-
in-law, said the first-year Dallas coach
has a couple of broken vertebrae in his lower
back.
“They say he’s lucky not to be paralyzed,”
said Reeves, adding that DeCamillis probably
will have surgery. The coach was seen
being removed on a stretcher wearing a
neck brace.
The storm hit while 27 players were going
through workouts. Officials say there were
about 70 people in the facility.
Of the 12 hospitalized, 10 were taken by
emergency vehicles and two went on their
own.
“Right now, I think we don’t have anybody
who is in a life-threatening situation,” Dr.
Paul Pepe, head of emergency medical services
for Dallas County, said.
The white, tent-like building is large
enough to be seen from miles away. It was
built in 2003, for Bill Parcells’ first season
as coach.
Storms often make loud noises inside the
so-called bubble, but this time overhead
lights swayed violently. One of the team’s
video staff was the first out the door, followed
by Nick Eatman of
DallasCowboys.com. Eatman was hit by
something and went down a few feet away,
then heard someone screaming for help. He
recognized it was Todd Archer of The Dallas
Morning News.
Eatman and colleague Josh Ellis tried freeing
Archer but the structure wouldn’t
budge. “It was like a car,” Eatman said.
Then safety DeAngelo Smith and linebacker
Brandon Williams were able to get it
up just enough for Archer to squirm out.
“All I saw was blue jerseys,” said Archer,
whose right elbow and legs were scraped. “I
was trapped, I couldn’t move. Then those
guys lifted it up — not very far, but I was
able to move from my side to my back. ...
Once I got out of there, I looked back and
the whole thing was down.”
Archer said that as he fled for shelter, other
players appeared to be stepping through
the debris looking for others in need of
help.
Eatman said one of the swaying lights
wound up more than two football fields
away. The giant blue star atop the building
lay crumpled on the ground. The storm
knocked out power at team headquarters
and splintered trees across the property.
Larry Rodriguez, a local television cameraman
who was in the news several years ago
after he was attacked by Kenny Rogers
while filming the former Texas Rangers
pitcher, was treated with six stitches for a
cut on a hand.
“We checked and we can’t find any other
damage than this particular location,” said
David Tull, an Irving police spokesman.
“The nearby area didn’t have any reports of
structural damage.”
Names and details of their injuries were not
released due to privacy rules.
“I saw it coming down and didn’t have time
to react,” secondary coach Dave Campo
said. “I hit the ground and was able to get
back up.”
The storm was producing winds measured
at 64 mph just before it struck the Cowboys
facility, said National Weather Service meteorologist
Joe Harris in Fort Worth. A
weak tornado is in the range of 65-110 mph,
according to NWS guidelines. Power was
knocked out for less than an hour.
“We’re lucky no one got electrocuted with
all the water in the building,” head coach
Wade Phillips said. “A couple of players
had minor injuries, but they were all right.”
This was the second of three scheduled
days of practices, but Sunday’s session was
canceled.
