A Florida high school football player collapsed and died during a game Friday night.
Chance Gaynor was a wide receiver and defensive back at Port St. Joe High School when the 18-year-old senior collapsed during a game at Liberty County High School.
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Tim Davis, Port St. Joe's athletic director and assistant principal, told the Northwest Florida Daily News that Gaynor was running toward the play when he collapsed. Coaches rushed to his side and quickly called for paramedics.
“He suddenly fell to the ground,” Davis told the outlet.
The incident occurred on Friday night. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Gaynor, who scored a touchdown in the game, was taken to the hospital by ambulance but later died there.
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Davis said the school learned of the boy's death with about four minutes remaining in Friday's game, which ended with a 28-0 win for Port St. Joe.
Gaynor's teammates were subsequently informed of his death.
The scenes were heartbreaking. Parents came onto the field to comfort their children. “I felt really helpless,” Davis said.
Gaynor was an honors student and had visited Vanderbilt University to discuss the possibility of attending, Gulf County Superintendent of Schools Jim Norton told WJHG-TV.
Chance Gaynor was an honor student.
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Gaynor “had world-class speed, but more importantly, he had world-class character,” Norton said.
Seven high school and middle school football players died in August alone, prompting parents and officials to warn of increased safety measures.
Marty McNair, the father of 19-year-old Jordan McNair of Randallstown, Maryland, who collapsed and died of heat stroke during football practice in 2018, said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital that with the fall football season in full swing, parents should prioritize their children's safety first.
The National Center for Major Sports Injury Research reported a total of 16 football-related deaths in 2023. Of those 16, nine were middle or high school students.
In July and August over the past three academic years, there have been six football-related fatalities in 2021, three in 2022 and two in 2023, according to NCCSIR statistics.
Fox News reporter Audrey Conklin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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