A much-loved football coach of a Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, high school died during a game Friday after telling his assistant that he was not feeling well.

Cornell High School head coach Ed Dawson told his assistant coach he wasn’t feeling well during the second quarter of Friday’s game against Rochester and sat down on the bench. Seconds later, he lay down on the turf because his condition worsened.

Then the worst happened.

“Next thing you know, he wasn’t moving,” said Cornell athletic director Bill Sacco, according to TribLive.

An EMT quickly tried to give the coach CPR, and he was then transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

“Cornell will grieve for a long time,” Sacco said. “We lost a great guy. I am not sure how we will get back to where we need to be. I guess we’ll see what happens.”

The game was called after the coach was transported off the field, with Cornell leading 16-6.

Cornell High School Superintendent Dr. Aaron Thomas released a statement saying that the school is “heartbroken” over the loss.

“This is an extremely difficult situation. To say Coach Dawson was an integral part of Cornell School District would be an understatement. It is hard to put into words what Coach Dawson means to Cornell, and we are all heartbroken, crushed, and in shock,” Thomas said in the statement.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Coach Dawson and his family,” Thomas added. “We have difficult days ahead, and we will lean on each other to get through them the best we can,” he said, concluding with, “We love you, Coach Dawson.”

Many others also spoke out about the incident.

Donnie Militzer, coach at Our Lady of Sacred Heart, eulogized Coach Dawson as a “welcoming guy … with a big personality,” and added that Dawson’s death “just crushed me.”

Fort Cherry coach Tanner Garry said that Dawson was a “mentor.”

“He was a mentor, a leader, and exemplified what a coach should be, on and off the field. He was a great friend and a great leader,” he explained.

Dawson took over as Cornell’s coach in 2011 and previously served as an assistant coach for Cornell and the Quaker Valley team.

Cornell entered the game on Friday at 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the Big 7 Conference, hoping to win a playoff berth.

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