Armed Forces Bowl Parachute Incident, Uninjured

An incident occurred at the Armed Forces Bowl pregame festivities in Fort Worth, Texas, on January 2, 2026, when a parachutist from the All Veteran Group experienced a fall after their parachute became entangled with a field goal net. The individual was uninjured and walked off the field, allowing the event to proceed on schedule.

Story Highlights

A parachutist of the All Veteran Group became entangled with a field goal net during a pregame jump and fell an estimated 30–35 feet.
The incident occurred in Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, prior to the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday, January 2, 2026.
The jumper sustained no injuries and walked off the field. No other injuries were reported among fans or personnel.

Incident Details

The incident took place on Friday, January 2, 2026, at Amon G. Carter Stadium, just before the Rice vs. Texas State college football game. The individual was one of the performers from the All Veteran Group. Strong winds, reported at approximately 12 mph, were cited as a contributing factor.

The parachutist’s gear became entangled in the cables supporting the field goal netting, leading to a brief suspension before the individual fell an estimated 30–35 feet to the turf below.

NEW: Parachutist plunges 35 feet into crowd after getting caught in field goal netting at Rice Texas State football game

Only three of the five parachutists landed as planned

One missed the stadium entirely, but the Armed Forces Bowl said he walked away and no one was hurt pic.twitter.com/iupv2xbqi5

— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) January 2, 2026

Immediate Aftermath

Following the fall, the parachutist stood up, gathered their equipment, and walked off the field without requiring assistance. Mike Elliott, president of the All Veteran Group (AVG), confirmed that the team reported “100% no injuries” and that the jumper walked away “without a scratch.” Bowl officials confirmed that no fans, players, or stadium personnel were injured during the incident.

Five parachutists were scheduled to perform; three landed as planned, and one landed outside the stadium. The remaining pregame events, including a scheduled F-35 flyover, proceeded without interruption.

Game Results

The Armed Forces Bowl commenced on time at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The Texas State Bobcats defeated the Rice Owls with a final score of 41-10. Texas State quarterback Brad Jackson threw for 173 yards and three touchdowns, and running back Lincoln Pare rushed for 106 yards.

The game marked Texas State’s second bowl victory over Rice in the last three years. It was also the team’s final game as a member of the Sun Belt Conference before their planned transition to the Pac-12 Conference on July 1, 2026.

Watch the report: Armed Forces Bowl Parachute Incident: Parachutist Caught in Goalpost Netting