St. Louis Radio: KXFN Host Passes Out During Show

Thursday was an unusually busy day for sports-talk radio, with the NCAA Tournament ramping up in full force all day in addition to the regular heavy load of athletic activities that occur every March. But things quickly turned from the comparatively trivial jock-jabbering to a scary health situation at KXFN 1380 AM when afternoon drive-time program co-host Jeff Gordon passed out while on the air shortly after the show signed on at 3 p.m.

Gordon, who is a sports columnist for stltoday.com, and partner Brian McKenna were broadcasting from Bruno’s American Grill, when Gordon became ill and fainted.

“It was really frightening,’’ McKenna told Dan Caesar at stltoday.com. “He wasn’t feeling well all day but he wasn’t vomiting and I don’t think he had a fever. But he was dehydrated . . . It was such an important day to be on the air, but I said, ‘Gordo, why don’t you just go home? He said, ‘No no, I feel fine.’ But toward the end of the first segment he started getting white. He looked at me, he put his hand up like 'I can’t do this right now.’ He put his head on his laptop (computer) and the next thing I know he went to his left and he blacked out. He hit the (floor), he was on his back.’’

A Brentwood firefighter and emergency medical technician was in the building and got Gordon on his feet.

Gordon was given some fluids and food, and after sitting up for about an hour was able to go home.

Early Thursday night, Gordon said he was feeling better.

“It was an after-affect of either the flu or some food poisoning,’’ he said. “I just suddenly had a blackout there, was able to shake it off and get home.’’

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