Tragedy shocks Port St. Joe football family: Player dies Friday after collapsing on the field

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – The extended Port St. Joe football and high school family is in shock and mourning the loss of star athlete Chance Gainer. The 18-year-old star student and football player collapsed on the field Friday night as his team played Liberty on their field.

Chance was treated on the field, and Gulf County Schools Superintendent Jim Norton told us he had no pulse when paramedics reached him. Mr. Norton says they were able to check his pulse before putting Gainer in an ambulance. He was then taken to a hospital in Blountstown. There, Norton says, Gainer died.

Mr. Norton went on to tell us that everyone associated with Port St. Joe High School and the Tiger Sharks football program is completely devastated by Gainer’s death. Norton says that as an athlete, Chance “had world-class speed, but more importantly, he had a world-class personality.” Norton goes on to say that Gainer, who had a grade point average above 4.0, had recently visited Vanderbilt University to discuss the possibility of attending college there.

The superintendent says he is already in the process of arranging grief counselors to come to the school and help the football players and all students, teachers and staff at Port St. Joe High School deal with this incredibly sad situation.

Mr. Norton informs us that next Friday’s game against Blountstown has already been postponed.

A GoFundMe campaign has been started for Gainer’s family. GoFundMe representatives said they verified the campaign and it was shared by Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis.

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