Longtime female photographer for Kansas high school football team, Linda Gregory, dies after players collided with her during a game
Linda Gregory, a female photographer for the Kansas High School Football team, dies after players collided with her during a game
- Linda Gregory was on the sidelines when she crashed with the players
- She hit her head on the concrete and was rushed to the hospital
- Her husband, Mel Gregory, shared on Facebook her wish to donate her organs
A well-known local sports photographer has died after hitting her head on concrete when football players collided with her during a match.
Linda Gregory was shooting photos for Wichita Northwest High School’s freshman and junior varsity football teams Monday night when two players came out of bounds and knocked her over.
The players were caught up in a block that continued to the sidelines, where they crashed into Linda.
She fell backwards and hit her head on the track’s concrete platform before being rushed to hospital.
Her husband, Mel Gregory, shared on Facebook that Linda became unresponsive and remained on life support until family members arrived at the hospital.
Beloved photographer Linda Gregory began shooting for Wichita Northwest in 2014 when her friend’s husband became a basketball coach
Linda and her husband Mel shared their love of sports and donated their photography skills to various organizations
Members of the Northwest Grizzly football community had meaningful relationships with Linda both on and off the field
Later, Mel made the decision to take Linda off life support and announced plans to move her to Kansas City to donate her organs.
“There is little hope left for her, but she could live on in the bodies of others,” Mel wrote. “Linda has been my soul mate, my best at everything and she will go the way she wanted to go.”
The tributes to the beloved photographer started pouring in, showing the impact she left on the community.
Linda became involved with the Wichita Northwest athletic department when her friend Joanna Chadwick’s husband became the boys’ basketball coach in 2014.
Mel and Linda decided to join the Grizzly community with the Chadwicks by taking photos at sporting events.
“What’s amazing about Linda is that she loved my family as much as we loved her, but so did so many other people. She was that person for so many other people and she was always happy to give you advice on a subject or help you out of trouble,” Chadwick said. The Wichita eagle.
Northwest Football coach Steve Martin said the team will honor Linda by wearing stickers with her initials “LG” on their helmets for the rest of the season.
“Her passion for children was amazing, but it went deeper than taking photos for Linda and Mel. They were part of our football team and always will be,” said Martin.
Breece Hall, former Northwest football player turned NFL running back for the New York Jets, also posted to Facebook after hearing the news.
He wrote: ‘We need prayers!!! These are the most sincere, polite, kind, giving and sincere people. Prayers for you and your wonderful wife Mel Gregory.”
Linda shot for the popular small-time baseball organization League 42
New York Jets running back Breece Hall, who recently returned from injury, qualified for the Gregory family
Linda used her talents to give back to her community, shooting for a youth baseball organization, League 42.
“She’s given us a visual history of our competition and thinks we’re all in a state of shock. Not only has Linda invested so much in what we do, but also in Northwest High School football and so many other things. She never stopped giving,” said League 42 executive director Bob Lutz KSN.
Her involvement in sports photography has allowed Linda to build close relationships with everyone involved.
“Whether she was doing their kids’ senior portraits or coming to their son’s soccer game, she just loves the community and people,” Chadwick told KWCH.