Torn artery shows Lickliter dangerous line between stress, illness

Todd Lickliter's blood pressure rises when he coaches his University of Iowa men's basketball team.

He waves his arms, talks loudly to officials and critiques his players. It's a part of coaching, just like stress and - what Lickliter thought - headaches.

But the throbbing and persistent pains he experienced at a tournament in Kansas City in late November went beyond an Advil cure and a nap. Lickliter, 54, checked into a hospital on Thanksgiving and later saw a neurologist. The pain didn't result from migraine headaches; it came from a torn carotid artery.

“I think if it was up to me, I'd have just taken some aspirin and tried to get over the headache,” Lickliter said Thursday. “I'm thankful I have doctors that were in tune and listened to me and were very thorough and put it all together.”

Doctors discovered Lickliter's torn artery during a checkup last Friday. By Saturday, he was in surgery. The procedure repaired the artery with a stent, which opened oxygenated blood through his head and neck. It's designed to relieve pressure and reduce the risk of stroke.

His family scrambled to stay with him. His youngest son, John, is a red-shirt freshman guard at Iowa. His middle son, Garrett, is a graduate assistant. Both skipped Saturday's home game against Prairie View A&M to join their father. Emotions caught up with Lickliter when he spoke of his family and his ordeal.

“I think I'd be less than honest if I didn't tell you that a lot goes through your mind,” Lickliter said. “When my family was there with me ... my oldest son (Ry) flew home from Krakow, Poland, to be with me. My brother, Rhett, took care of a lot of the spiritual aspects calling the priest, calling doctors. My wife was by my side the whole time. John and Garrett didn't leave me. You realize that maybe you do have some priorities.”

Lickliter didn't coach Iowa at UNI on Tuesday, and he won't coach the Hawkeyes tonight at Iowa State. He'll return next week for practice, and he plans to coach Dec. 19 when Iowa plays Drake.

Coaches often struggle with perspective. But Lickliter's surgery taught the self-described “reluctant patient” the difference between stress and illness.

“There are things that take precedent, and you need to be able to understand that,” Lickliter said. “Basketball is very important to me. I love it. I feel responsible, and I'm thankful I get to make a living that way, and I'll always prioritize it. But you can't prioritize it over your health.”