Armed Forces Bowl parachutist gets tangled in field goal net during pregame festivities
The parachutist was not seriously injured and walked off under his own power, a bowl spokesman said.
Six parachutists from the All Veteran Group parachuting team attempted to land on the field. Four of them did, while one was forced to veer away from the stadium and another got tangled. Christopher Hook / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
By Sam Jane
Jan. 2, 2026Updated 5:19 pm EST
A parachutist appeared to get tangled in the wiring holding up the netting behind the field goal uprights during a pregame performance at Friday’s Armed Forces Bowl between Rice and Texas State, getting stuck in the air for a moment before falling to the ground between the end zone and the stands.
The skydiver was not seriously injured and walked off under his own power, Drew Harris, a spokesman for the bowl game, told The Athletic. No spectators were hurt.
Before Friday’s noon game at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, six parachutists from the All Veteran Group parachuting team attempted to land on the field. Four of them did so safely, while one was forced to veer away from the stadium and another became tangled in the netting.
“He got up, grabbed his parachute and walked off,” Harris said.
Harris said high winds at the time of the landing contributed to the entanglement. The National Weather Service reported 12 mph winds in Fort Worth around the time of the incident. Harris said information about the parachuter, including name and age, was not immediately available.
The All Veteran Group was founded in 2011 and has performed jumps at numerous sporting events. The group previously landed successfully during the 2021 Armed Forces Bowl and regularly serves as the parachute team for USAA and the Carolina Panthers during pregame shows at Panthers home games. The rest of the pregame festivities, including an F-35 flyover, went smoothly.
The game was not delayed as a result of the incident.
Sam Jane is a trending news writer for The Athletic. He has previously worked as an intern for The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, MLive and other publications. He is a senior at the University of Maryland, where he was a sports editor for the campus paper, The Diamondback.