Men’s soccer player Jordan Mann died unexpectedly at his Prairie Village, Kan. home Saturday, May 26. He was the third SMU student to die in May and the fourth to die during the 2006-07 school year.
An autopsy conducted by the local medical examiner was inconclusive. A more detailed report will be issued some time in mid-June.
Lisa Mann, Jordan’s mother, said that the family plans to conduct further studies on his heart. Lisa’s father specializes in studying sudden deaths by athletes and will try to discover what happened.
“We have another son, so we would like to know for him,” Lisa said.
Jordan was a part of the men’s team that played in the 2005 College Cup – the final four for soccer.
He participated in commencement exercises on campus the weekend before and graduated with a degree in finance. He went home for Memorial Day weekend and was found dead in his room Saturday afternoon.
“We want everyone to know that he died peacefully in his sleep,” Lisa said.
A memorial service was held in Prairie Village on Thursday, May 31.
Members of the SMU soccer team, the entire coaching staff and a representative of the athletic department attended the service.
Head coach Schellas Hyndman was in Brazil when Jordan died, but made the trip back for the service.
“The SMU soccer family is deeply saddened by [his] passing,” Hyndman said in a statement to The Daily Campus. “He was a fine, outstanding young man. His memory will be cherished, and our heartfelt sympathy and prayers go out to his family and friends at this difficult time.”
Close friends from SMU and high school also attended along with some of Jordan’s professors.
Lisa said that athletic director Steve Orsini called the family and spoke with them, expressing his condolences.
SMU Soccer plans to hold a “Jordan Mann Alumni Event” in August in his memory and make it an annual tradition. Details are still forthcoming.
Jordan planned to stay in Dallas and live with his best friend from high school, according to his mother.
“He was keeping his options open…he had so many different interests,” she said.
When asked how people should remember Jordan, she mentioned something his brother said at the memorial service.
“He lived life with a passion. That’s how we want everybody else to live,” she said.
Jordan was selected to the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and to the Conference USA Academic Honor Roll while attending SMU. He attended Furman University in Greenville, SC, before transferring to SMU for the 2005 season.
Jordan grew up in Prairie Village, Kansas. He was a three-year letter winner at Shawnee Mission East High School in Shawnee Mission. He was named to the All-State, All- Metro, All Sunflower League, All Sun-Country and All Johnson County first team soccer teams. Academically he was a member of the National Honor Society, the National Beta Club, National Honor Roll, Principal’s Honor Roll and the Kansas Honors Scholars. His senior year he was awarded the Art Newcomer Award as the outstanding student athlete at Shawnee Mission East.
Well-wishers can leave memories or notes to Jordan’s family at inmemoryofjordan.com. The Web site also has details about donations to a fund set up by the family.
