The fan that took a terrifying fall from the 21-foot-high right field wall at PNC Park on Wednesday was identified as a 20-year-old former college football player, according to multiple outlets.
Kavan Markwood, who is listed in critical condition, is a 2022 graduate of South Allegheny High School in western Pennsylvania, a school district official confirmed his identity to TribLive.
District spokesperson Laura Thomas described him as a “hard-working, highly resilient young man.”
The 20-year-old went on to play college football at Division II Wheeling University in West Virginia as a linebacker in 2023, but left the team the following year for work, TMZ reported.
Markwood fell 21 feet over the Clemente Wall in right field of the Pittsburgh ballpark during Wednesday night’s Pirates-Cubs game.
He fell over a railing, which is 3 feet high, per TribLive, along the wall in the seventh inning while he celebrated Andrew McCutchen’s go-ahead double.
The outlet reported that witnesses said that Markwood was excited and had taken off his shirt, then poured a beer on himself before the McCutchen at-bat.
Zac Bruney, his coach at at Wheeling, told TMZ that Markwood “was a very good young man.”
South Allegheny School District athletic director Mike Brown said Markwood had “made a lasting impact on the South Allegheny community, both as an athlete and as a young man of character.”
“Kavan is best known for his resilience, strength, and kindness. He is a friend to all — someone who lifts others up and faces challenges with courage and grace,” Brown added.
The Pirates offered prayers for the fan on Thursday ahead of their game with the Cubs.
They also recognized the medical personnel who responded quickly after Markwood fell.
“We are devastated,” Pirates chairman Bob Nutting said in a statement. “Pirates baseball is a community, and our fans are like family. In times like these, we must come together, support one another, and keep him and his loved ones in our prayers.”
