A 68-year old man died of what appeared to be a heart attack Saturday after he collapsed in a Transpo shuttle bus before the football game.
University spokesman Matt Storin said the man fell at approximately 11 a.m. while aboard a bus scheduled to travel from the White Field North parking lot, which is located at the north edge of campus, to the Hesburgh Library Circle. The bus had not yet left the lot at the time of the emergency, Storin said.
Another fan on the bus happened to be a paramedic and immediately came to the man's aid, but was unable to revive him, said Rex Rakow, director of Notre Dame Security/Police.
A South Bend Fire Department ambulance arrived on the scene to transport the man to South Bend Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Rakow said. It was unclear whether the man died instantly, en route to the hospital or after he arrived there.
"It was a pretty close call," Rakow said.
The man's wife was the only relative with him at the time of the collapse, Storin said.
Notre Dame officials could not release further details about the man's identity Sunday, but Storin said the man was not a high-profile figure or a native of South Bend. Rakow said the man's name and hometown will be released today after his out-of-town relatives have been notified.
