Illinois Wesleyan University Home
 
Information forIWU StudentsFaculty/StaffParents/VisitorsAlumni
     Home  |  About IWU  |  Academics  |  Admissions  |  News & Sports  |  Giving to IWU
News Header
   About IWU
   Academics
   Admissions
   News & Sports «
      News «
         Current News Stories «
            News Releases 2005 «
            News Releases 2003-04
            News Releases 2002-03
         The Photos Page
         IWU Calendars
         Sounds and Sights
         Recent Faculty Activity
         Local Media
         Contact Us
      Sports
      Publications
      IWU Magazine
   Students
   Faculty/Staff
   Parents & Visitors
   Alumni
   Giving to IWU


Doug Schmied

Illinois Wesleyan Mourns Death of Football Co-Captain

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- Illinois Wesleyan University senior Doug Schmied, a co-captain on the Titans football team, died on Wednesday, August 24, at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria.

Visitation at Woolsey Wilton Funeral Home in Peoria will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, August 26. The funeral will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 27, in the Farmington High School Gymnasium in Farmington, Ill.

A memorial service will be held for Schmied in the Shirk Center on the Illinois Wesleyan campus on Wednesday, August 31, at 11 a.m.

A Hanna City, Ill., native and graduate of Farmington High School, the 21-year-old Schmied became ill following a morning practice on Friday, August 19, and was taken immediately to BroMenn Regional Medical Center in Normal, then transported to Saint Francis on Sunday, August 21, after his condition worsened.

An accounting/computer science major at Illinois Wesleyan, the 6-foot-3, 285-pound Schmied was a two-year starter as an offensive lineman for the Titans.

In a statement on Thursday, Illinois Wesleyan President Richard F. Wilson said:

“The entire Illinois Wesleyan community is filled with tremendous sorrow and a deep sense of loss today over the death of Doug Schmied, There are many people deeply affected by this tragic event, but the Schmied family is uppermost in our minds.” Read President Wilson’s complete statement.

 “This is a devastating loss for everyone who knew Doug," said Illinois Wesleyan head football coach Norm Eash. "As a co-captain, he led by example, and he earned the respect and admiration of every player and coach on our football team as well as other students at the University.”

Members of the University's Office of Counseling and Consultation have been meeing throughout the day  with members of the football team as well as with other students who are on the campus. The first day of classes at Illinois Wesleyan is Monday, August 29. The University's first-year students arrived on campus on Tuesday, and upperclassmen will return this weekend.

At Illinois Wesleyan, Schmied was a member of the Illinois Wesleyan Accounting Society.  He was the recipient of an Illinois Wesleyan Alumni Academic Scholarship.

In addition, he was a lab supervisor in Illinois Wesleyan’s Information Technology Center.  He also worked as an engineering technician for V3 Industrial Services in Peoria during the summer of 2004.

He is survived by his parents, Michael D. and Laura Ann Stranz Schmied, of Hanna City; two sisters, Katrina “Katie” (and Dana) Berry of Elgin, IL. and Jessica (and Scott) Belsly of East Peoria, IL. and one nephew, Aiden Belsly of East Peoria, IL. He was preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandparents.

Memorials may be directed to Illinois Wesleyan University/Doug Schmied Athletic Fund, PO Box 2900, Bloomington IL 61702-2900.

All content and images copyright © 2005 Illinois Wesleyan University