UNLV star revived by Senate candidate John Ensign after fall

Tuesday, May 16, 2000 | 9:35 a.m.

Quick action by U.S. Senate candidate John Ensign is being credited with reviving former UNLV basketball star Mark Dickel Monday after he suffered a head injury in a pickup basketball game.

Dickel, the most valuable player on the Rebel basketball team and the nation's leader in assists with a 9.0 per-game average, struck his head on the hardwood floor when he fell while trying to block a shot.

Dickel went into convulsions while bleeding profusely from a gash on the back of his head.

Ensign, a veterinarian and former U.S. Representative, was at the Sporting House athletic club, where Dickel was playing, and rushed to his aid.

"He was in a bad way," Ensign said. "I was on this treadmill nearby and I heard this bang.

"People were yelling and screaming to call 911, and I could see Mark was having a grand mal seizure. I tried to stabilize him and settle him down. Then he was turning blue and stopped breathing, so I gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."

Dickel was revived and taken by paramedics to University Medical Center, where he received 11 stitches for his wound. He was released Monday afternoon.

Rebel basketball coach Bill Bayno said Dickel suffered a slight concussion and a dislocated shoulder, and was told the remain inactive for three days.

Assistant coach Dave Rice said he talked to Dickel later Monday and said Dickel was grateful he wasn't hurt worse, and that Ensign was there.

"His first recollection was that he couldn't feel his legs while he was in the ambulance and he was very scared about that," Rice told a Las Vegas newspaper. "But once they got him to the hospital, he was doing much better, and when I talked to him he said he was OK."

Dickel, a 6-foot-2 point guard from Dunedin, New Zealand, was an honorable mention All-American who hopes to attend next month's NBA pre-draft camp in Chicago.

Ensign, a Republican who is making his second bid for the Senate, said his quick reaction was part of his medical training.

"In a situation like that, you don't think or worry about consequences. You just act. You're trained in that sort of stuff, but you never know when you're going to need to use it.

"I hope I never have to use it again, but I'm grateful that the knowledge was there, and we're thrilled that Mark is OK."