FAYETTEVILLE — The state of Arkansas lost a bright light who straddled the realms of sports and media late Thursday with the passing of former Razorback offensive lineman Mitch Petrus.
The 32-year-old Petrus, a native of Carlisle in eastern Arkansas, died at 10:45 p.m. on Thursday after being rushed to Baptist Health Medical Center-North Little Rock due to heatstroke, said Pulaski County Coroner Gerone Hobbs.
Records indicate Petrus reported feeling ill after working outside in his family’s shop in Lonoke County, Hobbs said, on a day in which the heat index soared over 100 degrees and a heat advisory was in effect for a large portion of the state.