The man who fell 21 feet from the Clemente Wall at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park during Wednesday’s Pirates baseball game has been identified as Kavan Markwood, a 20-year-old former football player.
He remains in critical condition with a fractured skull at Allegheny General Hospital. On Friday, the hospital said there were no new updates.
“Everyone at South Allegheny would say he is a hardworking, highly resilient young man,” South Allegheny School District spokeswoman Laura Thomson told TribLIVE of Mr. Markwood, who graduated from South Allegheny High School in 2022. “He’s a fighter. He’s going to need that resiliency now. But he has it. He’s touched a lot of lives at South Allegheny. We’re a small community. He’s a household name here. Everyone knows him. He has the prayers and the support of the South Allegheny community.”
SAHS Athletic Director Mike Crown told The Athletic, “When I saw the tattoo on the shoulder. I knew it was Kav.”
Mr. Markwood played football in high school, at Wheeling University in West Virginia, and at Walsh University in Ohio.
“Prayer warriors, please pray for the full recovery of former Walsh University student and football player Kavan Markwood. … Lord, please surround him with your healing presence to restore his body and spirit,” the college posted on X.
Wheeling University said, “the Wheeling University Community is heartbroken to hear of the tragedy that occurred at PNC Park. … Kavan is a valued member of our Cardinal Family. He played on the football team for the 2023 season after transferring from Walsh University. Our thoughts and prayers are with Kavan, his family, friends and all his loved ones.”
Those who know Mr. Markwood from football testified to his strength of spirit and expected him to pull through.
“If I know Kavan and how he takes these things, he’ll take this and fight hard and get through this whole situation,” Mr. Crown said.
His high school coach, Frank Cortazzo III, told The Athletic, “Kavan is not only an outstanding athlete but an even more exceptional young man. His resilience, heart and strength are truly unmatched.”
Mr. Markwood’s fall is being investigated by police as an accident.
Witnesses told TribLIVE that Mr. Markwood, who was excited that the Pirates were rallying in their eventual 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs, fell in the seventh inning while celebrating a double from designated hitter Andrew McCutchen that drove in the winning run.
