The fan who fell from the stands at a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game has been identified as Kavan Markwood, a former Division II college football player.
Markwood, 21, was critically injured after falling head first from the 21-foot Clemente Wall in right field onto the warning track during the Pirates’ game against the Chicago Cubs.
“There are some positive signs that were shared with me that he is responding to, but he’s fighting for his life right now,” said David McDonald, the superintendent of Markwood’s high school in the Pittsburgh area, to local media.
Markwood played football at Walsh University in Ohio before transferring to Wheeling University in West Virginia, both Division II football programs.
He didn’t play during his one year at Walsh, but appeared in five games as a redshirt freshman at Wheeling two seasons ago, recording four tackles.
Markwood graduated from South Allegheny in the Pittsburgh suburbs in 2022, where he was named the football Most Valuable Player as a senior and named to all-conference honors.
He fell from the stands while appearing to celebrate an RBI double from Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen in the seventh inning, and was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.
Local media reported Markwood fractured his skull in the fall.
“Kavan is best known for his resilience, strength, and kindness,” a spokesman for the South Allegheny district said in response to the incident.
“He is a friend to all, someone who lifts others up and faces challenges with courage and grace… If there is somebody who is going to be able to overcome this, it’s going to be Kavan Markwood because he’s a tough kid.”
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