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GREENSBORO — The N.C. A&T community began Wednesday with prayers for football player Chad Wiley, but then learned he was already gone.

"Nothing is fail-safe in life," interim Athletics Director Wheeler Brown said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference. "What happened (Tuesday) proves that even more."

Wiley, a two-year starter on the Aggies football team, died of complications from heat illness Wednesday, about 18 hours after an apparently normal offseason workout in which he and five other players ran up a modest hill behind the school's softball field.

A rising senior from Black Mountain, Wiley didn't pass out on the spot, but said he was dizzy as he walked to the training room at the university's Bryan Fitness and Wellness Center. There, several minutes after Tuesday's workout ended, he lost consciousness. He was pronounced dead at 5:02 a.m. Wednesday at Moses Cone Hospital. He was 22.

"Chad was a fighter," said one of his teammates, linebacker Timothy Shropshire. "Chad was a true brother. Chad loved all of us. He showed that on and off the field — the way he played, the way he held himself in the classroom."

At 6-feet-4 and 280 pounds, Wiley was in line with the physical norms for an offensive lineman in the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision. And although Tuesday was the hottest day of the year so far, the high temperature of 86 degrees was benign when compared with the often oppressive heat common to mandatory preseason practices in August.

The National Weather Service said the temperature at 11 a.m., the approximate time when Wiley completed the workout, was 77 degrees with a relative humidity of 58 percent.

Most recently chronicled heat-related deaths in sports have come in more typical summer weather or after conditioning drills described as being more intense than Tuesday's conditioning at A&T.

Those workouts were officially voluntary because NCAA rules restrict the dates of full preseason practices to the three to four weeks before a team's first game. Any gathering in May must be staffed by medically trained personnel, but cannot include football coaches or football equipment such as pads and helmets. Brown said three staff members were present Tuesday: Cedric Walthaw, the head strength and conditioning coach; Walthaw's assistant, Montray Jackson; and Benecia Cleveland, a trainer.

Brown said the offseason work usually includes the three supervisors and no more than 15 players, a widely accepted ratio in college football.

"We're in a state of mourning for the loss of Chad Wiley," coach Lee Fobbs said. "It's a very unfortunate thing that happened, and I would like to refer all questions at this time to Mr. Brown."

"A great kid," Fobbs called Wiley.

The day began, Brown said, with a weightlifting session that began at 9:30 a.m. and lasted about 45 minutes. The players then went outside for conditioning, which included the hill work and ended normally for Wiley and the others.

"(Wiley) experienced some dizziness after completion of the running," Brown said. "The trainer was there with him the entire time, making sure he had water and things of that nature. He was fully responsive to her. At that point, outside of a little dizziness, there were no symptoms."

Full answers aren't likely to come until an autopsy is completed. The state medical examiner's office in Chapel Hill frequently conducts those tests.

"As with anything, we will always look to see if there are things we can do better," Brown said. "As we continue to look into what exactly transpired, we'll make the necessary adjustments."

Wiley was a business management major who expected to graduate next year. Shropshire, a rising senior from Fayetteville, said Wiley was well known on the team for encouraging others to complete academic assignments.

"He was a humble dude," Shropshire said. "He loved everybody. The type of friend you would want. The type of player you would like to have on our team. The type of brother you would like to have.

"Chad will be missed. This is a shock to all of us, but we're going to still fight."

The Aggies, who have lost 27 consecutive football games, are scheduled to report for preseason practice July 31.

Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rob.daniels@news-record.com