Today at the start of the Irish football game a moment of silence was held to honor Notre Dame Grad Ryan Shay.

Shay died suddenly this morning as he was trying to qualify for the U.S men's Olympic Marathon team.

The 2002 Irish graduate collapsed and was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Shay was 28 and was considered one of the favorites to qualify for the team.

Mary Wittenberg, the president of New York Road Runners says, "It's certainly something you never ever want to see, or even imagine could happen. Our hearts go out to Ryan's family."

Shay was a championship runner at Notre Dame.

Right now, authorities have not released exactly how he died.