Alabama Referee Saves Colleague After On-field Collapse

On August 22, Alabama High School Athletic Association official Lew Murphy made a life-saving call.

What started as a normal game under the Friday night lights at Sylacauga High School between the Aggies and Central-Coosa, quickly turned into a critical situation earlier this fall.

In the second quarter of the game, umpire Joey Shelnutt collapsed on the field and hit his head on the turf after spotting the ball. Murphy, working as the back judge that night, ran over to his fellow official and saw Shelnutt’s eyes roll back while he gasped for air.

Murphy, who has officiated for about 20 years across various sports, immediately recognized signs of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and, within 15 seconds, started chest compressions on Shelnutt while pleading for emergency personnel to respond. Trainers then quickly jumped into action to assist, as well as Wendy Higginbotham, a nurse in the stands, and firefighter Clint Payton, before paramedics took over and an AED was used twice to help resuscitate Shelnutt.

Murphy said it took about five minutes before the defibrillator was used on Shelnutt and 10 to 15 minutes before the official was on his way to the hospital. The game resumed after a 20-minute delay.

Recounts of the incident detail there wasn’t a sound in the stands as the events unfolded, and the DJ at the game played the song “Goodness of God” while both teams were on their knees. The announcer also asked for all believers to pray for everyone involved as well, according to AL.com. As Shelnutt was taken off the field, the crowd gave a standing applause.

The Wednesday after the events, Shelnutt underwent double bypass surgery. During an interview with NFHS Director of Officiating Dana Pappas on her podcast “From A to Zebra,” Shelnutt, Murphy and AHSAA Director of Officiating Ken Washington recounted the incident and provided updates on everyone involved.

“I still consider myself not being a hero because God had me at the right place at the right time,” Murphy said. “… I don’t think I did anything special. There were a lot of people there but nobody reacted, and I decided someone needed to react until the paramedics got there. I just jumped in and did what I know I could do and hoped everyone else would come along and do what they were supposed to do. I really believe God had us all in the right place at the right time.”

Shelnutt Continuing Successful Recovery
During his recent podcast interview, published October 10, Shelnutt said he hardly remembers anything from the incident after he collapsed. The 54-year-old could recall his pregame routine and just a few plays from the second quarter, and he remembered feeling “woozy” before going down.

Shelnutt said that his surgeon told him his heart looked healthy when he first examined it, but upon further examination the doctor found two blockages that needed to be addressed, which required him to stay at Grandview Medical Center for another two weeks.

During his hospital stay, following a successful surgery, Shelnutt said he was overwhelmed with the amount of support he received from officials at all levels of competition in Alabama and across the country.

“I’ve always been told that officiating is a brotherhood, and I never really understood that until all the prayers and thank you from officials from all over the state and in the nation,” Shelnutt said. “I got a get-well card from an NFL officiating crew and the head referee lived in Texas and the officials on that crew had their names and numbers and everybody wrote get well … I got a full understanding how officials are a brotherhood.”

Shelnutt said he’s “getting better every day,” and as part of his recovery, he’s tasked with walking for extended periods of time every day. He said he often walks around the Walmart where Murphy has worked for nearly 40 years and sometimes visits with his fellow official while there.

During a recent trip to his doctor’s office, Shelnutt asked if he could operate the clock at football games since he won’t be able to officiate again this season. The surgeon signed off on the activity, and Shelnutt will help out in that capacity for the remainder of the season.

With more than 15 years of experience, Shelnutt plans to get back on the field in 2026, assuming his health allows.

Being Prepared for Sudden Cardiac Arrest
SCA is a leading cause of death in both adults and student-athletes, but bystander intervention rates are still alarmingly low. While rare in children, SCA is the leading cause of death in the United States for all ages, with more than 400,000 deaths per year.

Through education and additional resources, NFHS has worked with state associations and their schools for years to help reduce the number of SCA deaths nationwide.

The NFHS, through the NFHS Foundation, has sent more than 1,000 AEDs to high schools and state high school associations since 2018 and the NFHS Learning Center (www.NFHSLearn.com) offers courses on SCA, emergency action planning for after-school programs, first aid, health and safety, and responding to collapsed students, among other programs teaching lifesaving measures.

Not all state associations require high school officials to be trained in CPR or undergo physicals. With the recent events in Alabama, Washington said those topics have been top of mind for the AHSAA.

After what happened with Shelnutt, Murphy — who underwent a quadruple bypass himself in 2015 — said he plans to check on how his fellow officials are feeling prior to and during contests. The incident led to several officials Murphy knew getting checked out to help prevent any serious incidents like SCA.

Whether it’s huddling up to discuss a call or acting in case of an emergency, officials are a special group of individuals bonded together.

“We often talk about the officiating family in a broad sense, but what happened in Sylacauga that night in August is the embodiment of what that actually means,” Pappas said. “Officials have each other’s backs in a way that people outside of the officiating family may not fully comprehend. The actions of Lew Murphy to save Joey Shelnutt’s life that night are a living example of the bond between officials, and is an inspiration to the entire officiating community.”

Jordan Morey is manager of communications and media relations at the NFHS.