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By Bill Galluccio Long-time NCAA official  Bert Smith says that his collapse during the NCAA Basketball Tournament saved his life. Smith discussed the terrifying incident when he suddenly fell to the floor during the West Region final between Gonzaga and USC with the  Indianapolis Star. Smith was unconscious for several moments and was confused when he first woke up on the court surrounded by the medical staff. "I look to my left, and it's a doctor," Bert told the paper. "I say, 'What's going on, man?' And he goes, 'Bert, you passed out. You blacked out.' "I said: 'What?'

By Bill Galluccio Long-time NCAA official  Bert Smith says that his collapse during the NCAA Basketball Tournament saved his life. Smith discussed the terrifying incident when he suddenly fell to the floor during the West Region final between Gonzaga and USC with the  Indianapolis Star. Smith was unconscious for several moments and was confused when he first woke up on the court surrounded by the medical staff. "I look to my left, and it's a doctor," Bert told the paper. "I say, 'What's going on, man?' And he goes, 'Bert, you passed out. You blacked out.' "I said: 'What?'

"I said: 'What?' He was wheeled off the court in a stretcher, much to his dismay, and was given a clean bill of health after undergoing two hours of tests at the stadium. He returned to his hotel room but was talked into going to the hospital to get checked out as a precaution because of how hard his head hit the floor. That's where Bert learned what caused him to suddenly collapse. He had Katie Trammel with going the extra mile to determine what was wrong with him. "She sits down next to the bed," Smith continues, "and she says: 'I saw your fall tonight. Something doesn't add up. I want to...

INDIANAPOLIS – Bert Smith hasn’t seen the moment that made him famous. His wife has seen it once, and she’ll never watch it again. If you saw it, you understand. Smith is the college basketball official who passed out during the 2021 NCAA region final between Gonzaga and Southern California, toppling over like a fallen tree – his description – his body flat and unmoving, his eyes open and unseeing, a Gonzaga trainer frantically waving for help. People in the building, and I was one of them, thought he was dead. Turns out, that night probably saved Bert Smith’s life. But slow down...

By Bill Galluccio Long-time NCAA official  Bert Smith says that his collapse during the NCAA Basketball Tournament saved his life. Smith discussed the terrifying incident when he suddenly fell to the floor during the West Region final between Gonzaga and USC with the  Indianapolis Star. Smith was unconscious for several moments and was confused when he first woke up on the court surrounded by the medical staff. "I look to my left, and it's a doctor," Bert told the paper. "I say, 'What's going on, man?' And he goes, 'Bert, you passed out. You blacked out.' "I said: 'What?'