The evening of Jan. 5, Bart Sorenson, the father of WSU junior offensive lineman Riley Sorenson, died at a hospital in El Paso, Texas.

His passing ended a 10-day battle, which began when Bart was en route to watch his son play against Miami in the Sun Bowl. The 49-year-old Sorenson was rushed to Providence Hospital, where he received CPR, after suffering a heart attack.

WSU coaches informed Riley of his fathers’ condition before kickoff – the rest of the Sorenson family joined Bart and his son the following day. After initial surgery complications arose, doctors were forced to induce a coma; his family was at his side at the time of his passing.

“Bart was an amazing father and provider to his three children — Riley, Will and Elizabeth,” the Sorenson family said in a statement via the Seattle Times. “He took great pride and did everything within his power to be available and a presence in their lives, this was no different. Bart was a strong man with high values and will be greatly missed. Our family would like to thank all of those (known and unknown) for the financial and emotional support that you have so generously given.”

The Sun Bowl created a GoFundMe account for the family following the game to aid the Sorenson’s medical expenses. However, the fund violated an NCAA rule citing image use of a student-athlete. Additionally, WSU compliance was not aware of the account at the time of its creation.

WSU compliance worked with the Pac-12 conference, the NCAA and the Sun Bowl to comply with NCAA rules. WSU Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance John Lucier released a statement Jan. 2, confirming that the fund was now in accordance with NCAA rules.

“From the moment we became aware of the GoFundMe account for Riley, we have been in contact with multiple people to ensure everything is done in the best interest of Riley and his family, while still following NCAA guidelines,” said Lucier via WSUCougars.com. “At this point, with appropriate cooperation of all involved parties, it is permissible for all concerned to contribute to the fund that has been established to assist the Sorenson family.”

As of Monday the GoFundMe account for Bart Sorenson had raised more than $67,000.

Reporting by Lars Hanson