Key facts
- Former Bucknell University strength and conditioning coach Mark Kulbis has been charged in the death of freshman football player Calvin Dickey Jr.
A former strength and conditioning coach at Bucknell University, Mark Kulbis, has been charged with aggravated hazing and involuntary manslaughter in the death of freshman football player Calvin Dickey Jr. Dickey collapsed during an intense training session in July 2024 and died two days later.
The charges highlight the critical importance of understanding and accommodating student-athletes' medical conditions during strenuous training, particularly when coaches are aware of pre-existing health risks.
A former strength and conditioning coach at Bucknell University has been charged in connection with the death of a freshman football player who collapsed during a training session. Mark Kulbis faces felony aggravated hazing and misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and hazing.
Calvin “CJ” Dickey Jr. was training in July 2024 when Kulbis allegedly instructed him and other players to perform 100 “up-downs” and plank drills. Dickey, who had sickle-cell trait, began to struggle and passed out. He was taken to the hospital and died two days later.
An autopsy found that the exercises, combined with Dickey's sickle-cell trait, body weight, and exertional rhabdomyolysis, caused his death. The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office stated that Kulbis was aware of Dickey’s medical condition and had received training on NCAA anti-hazing standards, but disregarded this information.
Kulbis, who served as the head football strength and conditioning coach for about six years, left the university in January 2025, approximately six months after Dickey's death. Bucknell University has stated it is cooperating with the investigation but will not comment further due to the active criminal matter and pending civil litigation.
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