A young man from northeast Iowa, who won the chance to sing at Wrigley Field in Chicago last year, has lost his battle with cancer. Dustin Eglseder was 23 years old. The Guttenberg man was a lifelong fan of the Chicago Cubs.
Last August, Eglseder became the first fan to serve as guest conductor of the 7th inning stretch at a Cubs game. He entered a contest to sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame," and out of 2,700 contestants, he won. Two months after his performance before more than 41,000 fans, doctors removed Eglseder’s right arm in hopes of stopping the spread of cancer.
Earlier this year, Eglseder revisited the broadcast booth at Wrigley Field and was on air with Cubs T-V announcer Len Kasper of Comcast Sports. Kasper said Eglseder’s version of the 7th inning stretch was "one of the best renditions we’ve ever heard."
Eglseder’s condition deteriorated recently. He died on Wednesday. and his funeral is this Saturday in Guttenberg.
Audio: Radio Iowa’s Pat Curtis reports on Dustin Eglseder. :38 MP3