George Boiardi

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 Chef BoyardeeHe was the 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 4th 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 [Cite news|title=Cornell News|title=George Boiardi, 22, Cornell senior and lacrosse player, dies after being struck by ball during game|newspaper=Cornell News|date=2004-03-18|url=http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/March04/BoiardiLacrosse.bpf.html] . 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. [Cite news|title=Cornell Daily Sun |title=Experts Discuss Rare Heart Phenomenon |newspaper=Cornell Daily Sun |date=2004-03-29 |url=http://cornelldailysun.com/node/206 ] 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, lead to this tragedy. Since 1999, four other players have died under similar circumstances. His death has stirred calls for improved safety measures.

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