Neither a broken ankle nor a broken scapula could stop Harrison Hill’s college football career.

Even the NCAA couldn’t end it. That governing body granted Hill, a Kansas University wide receiver, a rare sixth year of eligibility after he injured his shoulder in the second game of last season.

Kansas football coach Mark Mangino, left, and Harrison Hill leave a post-practice news conference. The two announced Sunday that Hill, who had battled dehydration and injuries throughout his career, would not play for the Jayhawks again.

But Hill, one of four KU co-captains, walked away on his own Sunday when he was unable to overcome chronic dehydration problems that have plagued him since his days as a high school All-American at Wichita Collegiate.

“I’m worried about my health,” said Hill, who ranks third all-time among KU receivers with 108 receptions. “As much as I want to play and help this team, I know I have to think about being alive and healthy.”

In the fall of 2000, when he was held out of practices because of recurring dehydration woes, Hill told the Journal-World, “I run hot.”

He normally has a temperature close to 100 degrees, instead of the standard 98.6. Hill, who experiences headaches, vomiting and dizziness because of the disorder, had “nine or 10” overnight hospital stays due to dehydration while in high school and several more while at KU.

Seven athletes in different levels of football have died from heat-related illness in the past two years alone, and Kansas coach Mark Mangino wasn’t going to allow Hill to be another statistic.

“He can’t continue,” Mangino said after Sunday night’s practice. “I have decided it’s in his best interest. Even if he tells me he feels like a million dollars tomorrow or a week from now I’m not going to put him out there and put him in harm’s way.”

Harrison Hill listens as coach Mark Mangino delivers the news.

Hill said Friday at the team’s media day that he hadn’t had any recent bouts with dehydration, but Hill admitted Sunday that the summer had been tougher than usual.

“It’s becoming an almost everyday thing,” he said. “This summer I was becoming fatigued. I was having problems doing some things. It just gets frustrating. You start to worry about anything long-term happening.”

Mangino said Hill had struggled throughout the offseason, often becoming fatigued 10 minutes into a workout.

“I spent yesterday with one eye on Harrison Hill and one eye on everybody else,” said Mangino, whose returning players went through their first day of two-a-day practices Saturday. “Last night was just a routine practice. With his physique, the way he’s built, he’s in tremendous shape. He still cramped up. He still had to be taken to the training room and iced.”

Mangino met with the medical staff, trainers, Hill and Hill’s father to discuss the problem. Hill said he did not try to talk Mangino or the medical staff into letting him continue.

“I want to thank coach Mangino, his staff, the trainers and all the doctors,” said Hill, who informed the team of his decision before Sunday morning’s practice. “They tried everything they can do to figure out why this happens to me, why I have these problems.”

Wide receiver Harrison Hill watches a KU practice. After practice Sunday, Hill announced he was leaving the team for medical reasons.

Athletic trainers gave Hill fluids before, during and after practices to no avail. During past seasons, Hill often took intravenous fluids before games, at halftime and after games. He also had visited a specialist who dealt with dehydration and worked with a nutritionist to improve his diet.

“Harrison is a player who does not tolerate the heat that is a product of football,” director of sports medicine and team physician Larry Magee said. “He has dealt with this throughout his career and his condition creates a severe hardship for his body. We all support his decision because it is what is best for Harrison.”

Hill was an all-state baseball and football player at Wichita Collegiate before coming to KU as a two-sport athlete. He played only one season of baseball at KU, but was a standout in football.

He walked away with 108 career receptions for 1,535 yards and seven touchdowns. He needed just 26 receptions to pass Willie Vaughn and Richard Estell to become KU’s career leader in receptions.

He compiled those glossy stats despite a variety of ailments. Hill broke his left ankle in the second game of his freshman season in 1997. He came back to lead KU in receptions in 1998 and 2000, when he ranked fifth in the Big 12 Conference with 47 receptions for 591 yards.

Kansas' Harold McClendon (32) runs a play. The Jayhawks held an open practice Sunday on the KU practice fields.

Hill also was a standout in the classroom. The Jayhawk Scholar graduated with a degree in psychology in December and is studying sports administration in graduate school.

Hill has not decided yet whether he will take a role with the team as a graduate assistant, but his former teammates can plan on seeing plenty of him.

“I’m going to be around them,” he said. ” I care about all these guys. They’re like family to me. I know we’re going to have a great year.”

Senior Byron Gasaway is now KU’s only returning starter among receivers. But four other lettermen senior Barry Goodrich, senior Marcellus Jones, junior Derick Mills and sophomore Brandon Rideau also return. Mangino also has been impressed with his newcomers, particularly freshmen Jerome Lewis and Mark Simmons.

“We’ll move on,” Mangino said. “We’ve got some quality receivers in our program. We just have to continue to work with them.”

Roster move: Nick Reid, a freshman from Derby, has moved from quarterback to defensive back.