An Alabama high school football referee is recovering in the hospital after surgery. He collapsed on the field Friday at a game and was saved by his friend and fellow referee.

Joey Shelnutt said he didn’t have any sign of a problem before the Sylacauga vs. Coosa-Central game. But by the second quarter, something didn't feel right.

When he fell to the ground, he said the quick-thinking of his lifelong friend and fellow ref Lew Murphy saved his life.

Murphy used CPR to resuscitate him on the field until emergency crews could get there and rush him to the hospital.

Shelnutt said doctors told him they found blockages in his heart. He underwent double bypass surgery Wednesday, according to his sister Mary Beth Kromer.

She said he is doing well and is already sitting up in the hospital be

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