Bucknell Strength Coach Charged with Felony Hazing After Freshman Football Player Dies During Drills

On July 10, 2024, Calvin "CJ" Dickey Jr., an 18-year-old freshman recruited to play lineman at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, walked into his first day of football practice. He never left under his own power.

Mark Kulbis, Bucknell's strength and conditioning coach at the time, ordered Dickey and other freshmen to complete 100 "up-downs" — the exercise commonly called burpees, where you drop face-down to the floor and spring back to standing — followed by full-body plank drills, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office. Dickey and his teammates were reportedly doing the drills as punishment for performing earlier exercises incorrectly, according to a family lawsuit cited by The Associated Press.

Dickey had sickle-cell trait, a documented medical condition that significantly elevates the risk of serious injury or death during extreme physical exertion. According to the Attorney General's office, Kulbis had been informed of Dickey's condition and had received school-provided training on sickle-cell trait, NCAA anti-hazing standards, and Pennsylvania law covering hazing.

Dickey began visibly struggling. Kulbis was the only coach in the training room. He did NOT summon help until Dickey passed out, according to the Attorney General's office. Dickey was rushed to an area hospital and died on July 12, 2024, two days after the session.

Autopsy Findings

An autopsy determined Dickey's death resulted from a combination of the exercises Kulbis ordered, Dickey's sickle-cell trait, his body weight, and exertional rhabdomyolysis, according to the Attorney General's office. Exertional rhabdomyolysis is a rare but life-threatening condition in which muscle tissue breaks down rapidly from extreme physical stress and releases proteins into the bloodstream that can cause kidney failure and death.

The Charges

The Union County District Attorney referred the case to the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General last year. The AG's office charged Kulbis on Monday with one felony count of aggravated hazing and misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, and hazing. Bail was set at $10,000 unsecured.

"The facts show this was an intentional, deliberate hazing perpetrated by a coach who knew C.J.'s health condition made him vulnerable to extreme workouts," Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement. "This defendant received information about C.J.'s health condition, along with training about NCAA anti-hazing standards, and disregarded that information. This is an extraordinary tragedy, worsened by the fact that C.J.'s death was preventable."

The felony aggravated hazing charge exists because of Tim Piazza. The Pennsylvania Legislature created that statute in direct response to the 2017 hazing death of Penn State student Tim Piazza, according to the Attorney General's office. It was specifically designed to hold people accountable when hazing conduct causes serious injury or death.

Senior Deputy Attorney General Jaime Keating will prosecute the case.

Kulbis left Bucknell in January 2025, roughly six months after Dickey's death, according to his LinkedIn profile as reported by The Associated Press. He had been Bucknell's head football strength and conditioning coach for approximately six years before that departure.

His attorney had not responded to a comment request from the Associated Press as of publication.

Potential Defense Arguments

No defense has been formally entered yet, and Kulbis's attorney has not spoken publicly. Strength and conditioning coaches routinely administer physically demanding workouts, and lineman training inherently involves high-intensity exertion. Gauging when an athlete is genuinely in medical distress versus normal fatigue is not always straightforward in a group setting. A defense could argue that Kulbis did not intend Dickey's death and did not appreciate the severity of the moment until it was too late.

But Kulbis had been told about Dickey's sickle-cell trait specifically because that condition requires modified protocols. He had received training on exactly that issue. The AG's office also noted that other coaches had told Kulbis those drills were not appropriate or safe for use as training. The facts on record don't support a claim of ignorance.

Civil Suit Still Pending

Dickey's family filed a civil lawsuit against Bucknell University, Kulbis, and several school officials in 2025, arguing the death was "completely avoidable." The suit states: "If Defendants had followed well-established, well-known practices to protect athletes who have sickle cell trait, CJ would still be alive today."

Bucknell issued a statement confirming cooperation with the Attorney General's investigation but declined to say anything further. "Because this is now an active criminal matter, and related civil litigation remains pending, the University will not comment on the allegations or legal proceedings."

The university's liability in the civil suit has yet to be litigated. Whether Bucknell's oversight systems failed, or whether Kulbis was acting in defiance of institutional guidance, is a question the pending civil case will have to answer. The Attorney General's office noted that Kulbis acted against direction from other coaches, which, if borne out at trial, could affect how much institutional blame attaches to Bucknell itself.