The 49ers host the Tennessee Titans on Friday night in their third exhibition game. Herrion’s funeral will be held Saturday in his native Fort Worth, Texas, with NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, coach Mike Nolan and team owners John York and Denise DeBartolo York expected to attend.

“It’s a time that we have to be reflective,” Tagliabue told reporters in Massachusetts. “(The NFL must) try to sort out what happened and try to carry on in a way that is sensible, but takes into account a tragedy. ... At this point, we don’t have any answers.”

The 49ers will wear a black decal with Herrion’s No. 72 on the back of their helmets this season, and Herrion’s locker near the door to the practice fields will remain unchanged.

The Denver coroner’s office performed an autopsy Sunday, but a spokesman said no cause of death could be determined until coroners receive the results of toxicology and tissue tests, which usually take about three to six weeks.

Many possible factors in Herrion’s death will be discussed before then, including Denver’s high altitude, proper hydration and excessive weight. Herrion’s weight was average for an NFL lineman, but obese by many conventional standards.

Some physicians cite a high body-mass index (BMI) — a height-to-weight ratio that doesn’t consider body muscle versus fat — as an indicator of many potential health problems.

Others believe BMI is “not a proper indicator of health status,” as Dr. William Kraemer of the National Strength and Conditioning Association determined with detailed research for a soon-to-be-published study on the 2003 Indianapolis Colts.

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Four years ago, Minnesota Vikings lineman Korey Stringer died of heatstroke following a practice in steamy weather. Detroit Lions guard Damien Woody is among the players who aren’t worried about the health risks of playing the offensive line.

“It’s just an unfortunate, isolated incident,” Woody said. “If it were happening at a faster pace, that would be alarming, but this is two deaths in four years. I think I take good care of my health.”

Tributes to Herrion poured in from his native Texas and Utah, where Herrion played his final two college seasons.

The San Francisco Giants held a moment of silence for Herrion before their game Monday night against the Philadelphia Phillies, and tributes to Herrion poured in from his native Texas and Utah, where Herrion played his final two college seasons.

The Utes will hold a moment of silence before the season opener against Arizona on Sept. 2, and they’ll add a black No. 76 to their helmets. Coach Kyle Whittingham will attend Tuesday’s memorial service, and the school will fly several former Utah teammates — including Brandon Warfield, a running back who was Herrion’s best friend throughout college — to the funeral.

“It hurts every time you walk in the locker room and his locker is still up,” said Arnold Parker, a 49ers defensive back who played with Herrion at Utah. “Every time somebody from Utah calls me, it makes you think of Big T. ... He dreamed of being in the NFL, and his dream came true. It’s sad that it’s over for him, but it’s a testimony that dreams come true.”

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