Florida high school football player dies after collapsing on field. What we know

Posted by Admin September 7, 2024 Football

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A Florida high school football player died Friday night after local TV news reports that he collapsed on the field.

WJHG and WECP television reported that an 18-year-old football player and honor student collapsed as the team played against Liberty County High School. Gulf County School Superintendent Jim Norton told the television station that the player did not have a pulse when rescue workers first got to him.

Norton told reporters emergency personnel were able to get a pulse before putting the player, Chance Gainer, into an ambulance. He was then rushed to a hospital in Blountstown where he was pronounced dead.

The Florida High School Sports Athletic Association, or FHSAA, posted sympathies Saturday morning on X, the former Twitter:

“We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the family of Chance Gainer, the Port St. Joe community, and everyone affected during this difficult time. You are in our thoughts, and we wish you strength and resilience.”

Who died in a Florida high school football game last night?

Several media outlets, including local TV station WJHG, identified star player Chance Gainer, an 18-year-old senior at Port St. Joe High School as the player who collapsed and died.

What to know about Chance Gainer, the Port St. Joe football player who died.

Gainer was identified by Gulf County School Superintendent Jim Norton, saying Gainer “Had world-class speed, but more importantly had a world class personality.” Norton said the senior had a better-than 4.0 grade point average and visited Vanderbilt University in Tennessee to discuss attending.

Chance returned a kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown in the first game of the 2024 high school football season last week in a play WJHG named its play of the week.

How did a player die in a Florida football game?

Specific details were not immediately available, but Gulf County School Superintendent Jim Norton told media Friday night that Chance Gainer did not have a pulse when EMTs first got to him. They were able to get a pulse before putting Gainer in an ambulance and after being rushed to a hospital in Blountstown, the student died.

Reactions to the death of Port St. Joe High School football player Chance Gainer

Where is Port St. Joe Florida?

Port St. Joe is a Gulf Coast Florida city about 50 miles from Panama City and 100 miles from Tallahassee, Florida’s state capital.

How many high school football players deaths are there?

One of the most recent reported high school football deaths happened in Southern California, who died this week after suffering injuries in an Aug. 23 game.

Christopher Garcia, a 16-year-old junior at South Gate High School in Los Angeles, died after suffering a brain injury during an Aug. 23 home game, a Los Angeles Unified School District spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY on Friday.

Garcia was hurt during a tackle during a junior varsity game, local KTLV-TV reported, and taken by ambulance to a local hospital.

According to an NBC News report, the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research recorded three football-related deaths in 2023 among high school players nationwide. During the 2021-22 school year, there were 11.

More recently, nationally, before seasons started, at least five high school football players and a middle schooler during or soon after football activities, according to the NBC report.

Three players died either while they were practicing or shortly thereafter, one died during a preseason workout, and another died after he was tackled and hit his head during a game.

Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY