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.
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.
