A high school athlete in Florida died after collapsing on the field during a football game on Friday night.
Gulf District Schools Superintendent Jim Norton confirmed that the player who died was 18-year-old Chance Gainer, a wide receiver and defensive back at Port St. Joe High School.
His death occurred during a game on Friday, Sept. 6, at Liberty County High School.
After collapsing, Gainer was tended to on the field but reportedly did not have a pulse when EMTs reached him, according to WJHG, an NBC affiliate in Panama City, Florida.
Norton told the outlet that EMTs were able to get a pulse for Gainer before he was put into an ambulance. He was taken to a hospital in Blountstown where he was pronounced dead.
“The tragic loss of Chance Gainer, a senior at Port St. Joe High School, has left our community in profound sorrow,” Norton said in a statement. “He was a remarkable athlete, a beloved teammate, and an overall exceptional young man who loved Jesus. Chance was quiet but exuded captivating warmth and genuineness that drew people to him.”
Norton spoke to WJHG about Gainer’s athletic abilities as well as his “world class personality,” sharing that he had higher than 4.0 grade average and had recently toured Vanderbilt University.
His statement also included a message from the principal of Port St. Joe High School, Sissy Godwin, who said, “You may not have heard Chance in the crowd, but you could see his smile from across the room.”
Following Gainer’s death, staff, friends and members of the community gathered at the high school. Norton said the moment was “perhaps the most heartbreaking situation imaginable for a family and community” but provided “an indescribably heartwarming experience” having the community embrace Gainer’s family, teammates, and coaches during a difficult time.
“Please keep Chance’s parents — J. J. and Gal Gainer, his siblings and extended family, friends, teammates, and coaches in your prayers,” Norton concluded his statement. “We want the Gainer family to feel that they are not alone in this heartbreaking moment.”
Gainer is among several recent deaths in high school football. In August, at least six teenage football players died, and their families are calling for better safety measures.
Last month, 13-year-old Cohen Craddock died due to a head injury sustained during practice after only playing organized football for a year, his father Ryan Craddock told NBC’s Sam Brock.
That same month, 14-year-old Semaj Wilkins died after he suffered a medical emergency and collapsed on the field during practice on a 90-degree day. His mother told TODAY that her son didn’t have any health conditions that would have led to this type of medical emergency.
The National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research reported that in 2023, there were 16 football fatalities. Three of the deaths were due to traumatic injuries, while 10 were related to exertion or medical issues including aneurysms, asthma, heat stroke or sudden cardiac arrest.
Expert recommendations to prevent death start with proper training.
Neuroscientist Dr. Chris Nowinski told TODAY, “Every time you hear about a death happening in practice, that was avoidable if we could retrain coaches on how to teach kids to play football without them getting hit in the head so much.”
For other medical emergencies, including sudden cardiac arrest, schools should have an action plan that is reviewed each year to ensure the players get the necessary care as quickly as possible, experts say.