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King football coach suffers heart attack
Detroit – Detroit King head football coach Dale Harvel suffered a heart attack on Saturday. Harvel collapsed shortly after King’s 28-17 victory at Detroit Mumford and was taken by ambulance to Sinai Grace Hospital on Detroit’s west side.
Terel Patrick, King’s assistant head coach and now the acting head coach said Harvel had surgery at approximately 8 a.m. on Monday and is in the intensive care unit at Sinai.
“I’m very concerned for Dale,” Patrick said. “A month before the season Dale asked me to be the assistant head coach because he said he wasn’t feeling well. It was his blood pressure. Two years ago he was sick during the (Public School League) final and he received treatment. He lost about 40 pounds after that but I think he gained some of that back.”
Harvel, 55, joined the King staff in 1986 and was the defensive coordinator until 2009 when then head coach Jim Reynolds suffered a stroke. Harvel then took over as head coach, a position he’s held since.
It was a warm afternoon at Mumford when Harvel told Patrick he was not feeling well.
“He called me over with about three minutes to go in the half,” Patrick said. “He told I should take over. He signaled for my father (Tony Patrick) in the stands to take Dale but Dale refused to go. Then after the game we were walking to the bus and he just went down. He regained consciousness (on Sunday). He’s in bad shape. I’m worried. He has fluid on his lungs and suffering from acute kidney failure.”
Patrick played for Reynolds and Harvel at King before graduating in ’94. Patrick was the offensive coordinator this season as well as serving as assistant head coach.
King is 5-0 this season and ranked No. 5 in State Champs’ top 25.
King is scheduled to host Detroit Henry Ford on Friday at 4 p.m.
Patrick said practice has been cancelled for today but that there will be a team meeting with the players and another meeting after with the coaching staff to go over this week’s preparation and possible changes in responsibilities within the staff.
