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Oregon Lineman Mark Asper Performs Heimlich Maneuver on Choking Man at Lawry’s ‘Beef Bowl’

At 6-foot-7, 325 pounds, Mark Asper looks like a dude who could do some damage with a hard squeeze. But when a man began choking at a nearby table while Asper was eating dinner last week, the senior offensive tackle for the University of Oregon used just the right amount of pressure.

Asper, an Eagle scout, did his good turn for the day when he performed the Heimlich maneuver on the man at Lawry's The Prime Rib during the "Beef Bowl" –which Wisconsin won by consuming 723 pounds of meat — as part of the run-up to the Rose Bowl Game, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Asper said the man, who the Los Angeles Times identified as Paul Diamond, the father of an Oregon student, was grateful but seemed to have a strange sense of humor.

"He came up to me after and said, 'Hey, thanks man, but you broke my sunglasses," Asper said. "I said, 'Oh, I'm sorry. I'll see if I can get your a new pair.'"

Diamond also said he would have sued Asper if the Heimlich didn't work, but we assume he was joking — at least, we hope so.

The incident didn't deter Diamond from finishing his steak, according to Asper.

"Last I saw, he was taking smaller bites," Asper said, "but still at the plate."

Check out Asper talking about it in the Video of the Day below.

Photo of the day

Asper was brave, courteous and helpful. Three out of 12 ain't bad for the former Boy Scout.

Screen shot via YouTube/losangelestimes

Quote of the day

"The worst part is the attention. I hate attention like that."
– Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, the reigning league MVP, on his dislike of the award's focus on individual accomplishments over his team's 

Tweet of the day

That time is all the time.

Video of the day

It's all fun and games until somebody takes too big a bite of prime rib.