But even the jolt of adrenaline that sent Buehler dashing toward one of the exits of the 80-foot-tall, tent-like structure wasn't enough to keep him safe.

"I thought I was OK, and then a steel pole hit me in the right side of the head and left a big knot," Buehler said. "It was one of the craziest things I've ever experienced. We were all in shock. Welcome to the NFL."

Buehler and 11 others were hospitalized, including at least two in serious condition, after they were snared in the wreckage from the collapse of the facility's air-supported roof, said Dr. Paul Pepe, head of emergency medical services for Dallas County.

Special-teams coach Joe DeCamillis is set to undergo surgery after suffering a broken back, said former Cowboys player and assistant coach Dan Reeves, father-in-law of DeCamillis.

"It's just a miracle he wasn't paralyzed," Reeves said in a phone interview from Atlanta.

Dallas television station KTVT reported Cowboys scout Rich Behm also suffered fractured vertebrae.

Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple said four staff members were hospitalized but declined to give names. He also said he didn't know of any players who were hospitalized.

But Buehler said in a phone interview from a Dallas-Fort Worth hospital that in addition to getting hit in the head, he has a cut on his right knee that required stitches. He said he believes he was the only player hospitalized and that other players suffered only gashes.

Pepe said none of the injuries was considered life threatening.

The storm produced winds of up to 64 mph just before it struck the practice facility, which has a bubble-like roof supported by metal framework.

Roughly 70 people, including players, coaches, staff members and members of the media, were inside the structure.