Kayla Saager‑Beckley, a Long Island native, was found unresponsive shortly after completing a brief exercise session in Tulsa and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a statement from her husband, John Beckley, who serves as Tulsa’s outside linebackers coach.
In the family‑issued statement, Beckley described his wife as “a beautiful, loving and unforgettable soul” and said the couple’s unborn daughter, whom they named Sawyer, also passed away. The family asked that donations in memory of Kayla and Sawyer be directed to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or The Bee Foundation, which supports awareness, education, prevention and research surrounding brain aneurysms.
The Tulsa County Medical Examiner’s Office told The Post that a definitive cause of death will not be released for roughly three to six months, pending the completion of required tests and examinations.
Tulsa head football coach Tre Lamb confirmed at a press conference that Kayla was working out when she suddenly became unresponsive, noting the rapid progression from activity to collapse within a ten‑minute window.
Saager‑Beckley scored 22 goals over two seasons (2017‑18) at Binghamton and later played professionally in the Czech Republic. She earned a master’s degree in health and physical education at Troy University, where she spent four years as an assistant coach, before moving into college soccer scouting and recruiting.
She and John Beckley married in June and had recently relocated to Tulsa to begin a new chapter in her career. The family’s statement also mentioned funeral and celebration‑of‑life arrangements, though specific details were not disclosed.