January 15, 2025

A bus carrying part of the Ottawa University football team and staff crashed on the way home from their game with Southwestern Saturday night just outside of Emporia. Around 1:00 Sunday morning the bus carrying the defensive team and coaches experienced a mechanical failure and lost all steering capabilities. The driver of the bus was able to bring it safely to a stop in a ditch on the side of the road. Thankfully no one was injured in the crash.

Campus President Dr. Reggies Wenyika says with the assistance of the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, everyone was safely moved to another location. OU Athletic Director, Arabie Conner was in constant communication with the owner of the charter bus company, which deployed another bus to pick up the student athletes and coaches. The team arrived safely back to the Ottawa campus at 3:10 yesterday morning.

An official investigation into the incident will be conducted and further details released upon completion.