Heatstroke alert for football players.

• Position: YOUR LIFE

Scorching temperatures across much of the nation have prompted a University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, injury specialist to issue an important warning to the nation's gridders. "Football practice [and games are underway] around the country, and the weather has been just brutal in many states," cautions Frederick Mueller, professor and chair of exercise and sport science at UNC and head of the the American Football Coaches' Committee of Football Injuries. "Coaches, players, parents, and others need to take extra precautions to prevent heatstroke and heatstroke deaths.

"Players die from hidden medical conditions and from freakish accidents just about every year, but no athlete should ever die from getting too hot during practice or games. Such tragedies are 100% preventable."

Twenty-four healthy players have died from heatstroke since 1995, Mueller reports. About 1,500,000 junior and senior high school students play football in the U.S. each year. College and universities field around 75,000 players. "Players should get all the water they want in practice and have frequent cooling-off breaks," he advises. "Shorter practices and noncontact drills during which players don't wear helmets can help prevent heatstroke and also reduce accidents."

Coaches and trainers need to keep a close watch on temperatures and humidity, Mueller urges. Workouts should be held early or late in the day and, if it is too hot, coaches need to consider canceling them for a day or so until...