When Plano firefighter paramedic Ben Roth ('19, '23 M.S.) was at Soldier Field Dec. 22, he noticed something from back home.

A young spectator at the Detroit Lions-Chicago Bears game was wearing a UNT shirt.

A few minutes later, Roth ended up on the field -- where a fan named Wally Schmidt collapsed.

Ben instantly ran to Wally and was able to resuscitate him. Wally stayed alive for about five hours, giving him time with his family before he died.

The story has made headlines around the nation, especially in Detroit. For Roth, it's what he trained for as a firefighter paramedic, and the string of events were meant to happen.

"There are signs all around us, and all those things had to line up perfectly to have the right place, time and situation," Ben says.

From Conversation to Rescue

Going to the game was a spontaneous decision for Ben, a Nebraska native who is a lifetime Lions fan and season ticket holder.

He and his wife, Brittany, the head coach of the Mean Green swimming and diving team for eight years, made a last-minute trip to visit friends in Chicago and snagged cheap tickets to the game. Brittany doesn't like attending games in cold weather, so their snow-loving daughter, 6-year-old Isadora, went instead.

They had seats close to the field and saw the young UNT fan.

"I'm like, 'Oh, my gosh! He's wearing a North Texas sweatshirt,' and so I yelled, 'Go Mean Green,'" Ben says.

Ben made their way to the young fan and his uncle. As Ben took pictures of the two children, the uncle and Ben talked a bit. The man mentioned he had extra field passes because the boy's mother was sick, so he gave them to the Roths.

A few moments after the Roths got on the field, just 10 yards away, he saw Wally Schmidt collapse.

A firefighter paramedic for 17 years, Ben knew the man was experiencing a cardiac seizure. He told the crowd he was a paramedic and asked Illinois State troopers and Bears staffers to get an automated external defibrillator.

Wally lost his pulse. Once the AEDs came, Ben was able to revive the man. Wally's son, Jeremy, accompanied him to the hospital. Wally was in good spirits, making jokes such as, "I haven't left a Bears game in a while smiling."

Ben exchanged numbers with Wally's family while watching the game.

Meanwhile, Brittany was wondering why Ben hadn't texted any photos like he frequently does at the other games.

Eventually he texted her. "I'm like, 'Hey, I got a lot to tell you. It's going to have to be in person, but I'm probably going to be on the news, and I just got interviewed by a reporter.'"

"You know that emoji that has the big wide eyes and the 'shock face,'" Brittany says. "That's all I sent back."

Later that night, Ben received texts from Wally's wife that he didn't make it through surgery.

"They were so thankful that they got that extra time, and really just were so happy that I was there to help out, and I told him it wasn't just me. It was the Bears staff that was able to get the AED so quickly. It was the Illinois State troopers who were doing great CPR. It was a collaborative effort in a very, very random situation."

'Support System'

Ben has received plenty of attention for his heroics, including a series of articles in the Detroit Free Press.

The Detroit Lions invited the Roths and the Schmidts to the Jan. 5 game. The Lions provided the Roths with tickets, hotel, flight and food passes. They got to hang out on the field, where Ben talked with his idol, Barry Sanders, as well as actor and podcaster Taylor Lautner and former football player Drew Brees. The Lions cheerleaders gave Isadora, who usually wears a Lions cheerleader outfit, pompoms. They stayed on the field for the player introductions and national anthem, then took their seats for the game.

"It was incredible," Brittany says. "I was just really proud of Ben and the way he was able to navigate all of this. Getting to see him being recognized for what he does for other people and getting to watch him talk to his childhood hero -- it was really amazing to just be a witness to that."

Ben played football in high school and dreamed of playing in the NFL until his kneecap broke. He was working as a hotel valet when a guest asked about his career plans. That guest was a former firefighter who suggested he get into the field. Ben enrolled in college the next week to get his associate degree.

Ben, who has played and coached in the National Public Safety Football League for 15 years, moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area since the abundance of cities meant greater job opportunities. He met Brittany online.

The pair have supported each other throughout their careers. Ben received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the College of Health and Public Service at UNT.

"It's a challenge for anybody to do the work that's necessary on top of the schedule that he's trying to uphold," Brittany says. "We're a really good support system for one another. When he needed to study, I took the brunt of a lot of the other stuff that needed to get done. I'm currently pursuing my M.B.A. in sport entertainment management at UNT, so now the roles have changed a little bit. It's a partnership where we work together, and we've got really good communication with one another. And we're a team."

Brittany's swim team is making waves. She could become UNT's all-time winningest swimming coach in February.

Feb. 8 marks Senior Day for UNT Swimming and Diving and what would have been Wally's 66th birthday.

Ben and Jeremy, Wally's son, keep in touch with each other.

"We get into the profession to help people," Ben says. "In that situation, we all came together to attempt to help somebody. It was over 300 minutes of quality time with their family that they wouldn't have got back."