Florida High School Football Player Dies After Collapsing on Field

A Florida high school football player is being remembered as “a remarkable athlete, a beloved teammate and an overall exceptional young man” after he died after collapsing on a field during a game.

According to a GoFundMe campaign launched this weekend, Port St. Joe High School senior Chance Gainer, 18, died on Friday, Sept. 6. NBC News, citing Gulf District Schools Superintendent Jim Norton, reported that Gainer died during an away game at Liberty County High School. Norton described the teen athlete’s death as a “tragic loss” that has left the community with “profound sorrow.”

“Chance was quiet, but exuded captivating warmth and genuineness that drew people to him.” Norton said in his statement obtained by the outlet, calling Gainer’s death “perhaps the most heartbreaking situation imaginable for a family and a community.”

NBC affiliate WJHG reported that the teen did not have a pulse when EMTs arrived to the game, before medical personnel eventually found one. Gainer was later pronounced dead at a hospital in Blountstown, Fla.

Liberty County Athletic Director and Assistant Principal Tim Davis, who was at the game on Friday, told the Northwest Florida Daily News that Gainer was playing defensive back when a play developed on the opposite side of the field, before he “went to the ground suddenly.”

“Coaches attended to him and after a few minutes, they called for EMS. After they got to the field, they took him off to an ambulance behind the visitors bench,” Davis said. “One of our school resource officers drove in the ambulance to Blountstown while the medics worked on him.”

Per ESPN, Gainer scored on a 70-yard touchdown earlier in the game before he collapsed. Administrators learned of his death with four minutes left in the game, Davis said, per the Northwest Florida Daily News, and decided to let the game finish before informing Gainer’s teammates. Davis called the scene “heartbreaking.”

The Florida High School Athletic Association later shared a message with the local community on Facebook, writing that they extend their “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.”

Gainer, who had better than a 4.0 grade point average, recently paid a visit to Vanderbilt University, the superintendent told WJHG.

“Chance was not only a star athlete but a well-loved classmate,” GoFundMe organizer Evan Clark wrote of Gainer. “You may not hear him, but you could see his smile from across the room. A team, a school, a community and most importantly, a family is truly devastated by the loss of Chance.”

For the upcoming week at Port St. Joe High School, the district has announced a day off on Monday, with grief counselors and teachers set to be onsite for students throughout the week; a day off for students on Tuesday with an open luncheon for the football team and those of neighboring schools; the postponement of a Friday football game; and a tentative celebration of life for Gainer next weekend.

The GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $54,000 of a $60,000 goal, as of Sunday, Sept. 8.