A referee collapsed during the first half of a girls basketball game between Plymouth and Marian on Tuesday night, prompting first responders at the gym to rush in with lifesaving care. The official is alive and receiving medical care, and the remainder of the game was postponed after the emergency.
According to WNDU, Capt. John Lampkins, a paramedic and member of Plymouth Firefighters Local 5443, joined Plymouth trainer Gary Hall, three nurses and other first responders in providing lifesaving care to the referee. An automated external defibrillator was put to use within one minute of the emergency, the union told the station.
Union Credits Fast Action by Those on Scene
Plymouth Firefighters Local 5443 said public service means stepping up when someone needs help, per the same report. The union also expressed pride in Lampkins and gratitude to everyone who helped during the emergency.
The union added that CPR training, AED accessibility and community preparedness are important — a message that echoes beyond this single night in the gym. The station's report did not specify the referee's identity, diagnosis, or which hospital treated him, and his current condition has not been made public.
Similar Scares Have Played Out Elsewhere
Collapses like this aren't unheard of on high school courts. A male referee collapsed during Cathedral Prep's girls basketball game against Warren JFK on a Saturday, according to YourErie, with Cathedral Prep's team rushing to stabilize him and an AED put into use. That official was alert when emergency responders transported him to the hospital, though his condition was unknown at the time of the report, and the two teams resumed play after the incident.
Community CPR and AED training has been a recurring local offering in Plymouth. The Plymouth Fire Department scheduled a public CPR and AED training session for Tuesday, May 19, from 9 a.m. to noon at the local firehouse, according to GIANT fm. The three-hour course covered CPR techniques for adults, children and infants along with proper AED use, at a cost of $50 per person, with registration directed to Lampkins.
Free Heart Safe Classes Offered in Minnesota
Separately, the Rotary Club of Plymouth has promoted free Heart Safe Plymouth training in Plymouth, Minnesota, for teenagers and adults, teaching hands-only CPR — chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth breaths — along with AED use. That program's listed sessions ran on September 25, October 23 and November 20, 2025, with class sizes capped at 35 participants.
For now, the focus in Plymouth remains on the referee who went down mid-game and the responders who reached him within a minute. The game's remaining action stayed on hold as of Tuesday night, and no information has surfaced on when or whether it will be completed.
