Longtime female photographer for Kansas high school football team, Linda Gregory, dies after players collided with her during a game
- Linda Gregory was on the sideline 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 crashed into her during a game.
Linda Gregory was taking pictures of the Wichita Northwest High School freshman and junior varsity football teams on Monday night when two players came out of bounds and knocked her over.
The players were engaged in a block that continued to the sideline where they collided with Linda.
She fell backwards and hit her head on the concrete apron of the track, before being rushed to the hospital.
Her husband, Mel Gregory, shared on Facebook that Linda was unresponsive and remained on life support until family members arrived at the hospital.
Beloved photographer Linda Gregory started taking photos for Wichita Northwest in 2014 when her friend’s husband became the basketball coach
Linda and her husband Mel shared a love for sports and volunteered their photography skills to various organizations
Members of the Northwest Grizzly football community had meaningful relationships with Linda on and off the field
Later, Mel made the decision to take Linda off life support and announced the plan to move her to Kansas City to donate her organs.
‘There is little hope left for her, but she might live on in the bodies of others,’ Mel wrote. ‘Linda has been my soul mate, my bestest in everything and she will go as she would like to have gone.’
Tributes began pouring in for the beloved photographer, showing the impact she has left on the community.
Linda got 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 is so amazing about Linda is that as much as she loved my family and as much as we loved her, it was that same way with so many other people. She was that person for so many other people and she was always more than happy to give you advice on a topic or help you out of a jam,’ Chadwick told 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 kids was amazing, but it went deeper than taking pictures for Linda and Mel. They were a part of our football team and always will be,’ said Martin.
Former Northwest football player turned NFL running back for the New York Jets, Breece Hall, also posted on Facebook after hearing the news.
He wrote: ‘We need Prayers!!! These are the most genuine, polite, kind, giving, whole hearted people. Prayers out to you and your wonderful wife Mel Gregory’.
Linda took photos for popular little league baseball organization League 42
New York Jets running back Breece Hall, who recently returned from an injury, posted for the Gregory family
Linda used her talents to give back to her community and took photos for a youth baseball organization, League 42.
‘She provided us with a visual history of our league and think we’re all just in kind of a state of shock. Linda poured so much into not only what we do but Northwest High School football and so many other things. She never stopped giving,’ League 42 director Bob Lutz told KSN.
Her involvement in sports photography allowed Linda to form close relationships with everyone involved.
‘Whether she took their child’s senior portraits or she showed up to their son’s t-ball game, she just loves the community and she loves people,’ Chadwick said to KWCH.
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