Sudden death in athletes
The Courier Journal's database of sudden death in sports since 1909.
Search athletes by their name, level of play, cause of death, year, state and more.
| Name | Age | State | Cause of death | Date of death |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Neltner | 22 | Kentucky | -- | May 21, 2024 |
| Cam Ward | 17 | Tennessee | -- | March 29, 2024 |
| Ken Taylor | Missouri | -- | March 28, 2024 | |
| Bryce Stanfield | 21 | South Carolina | Pulmonary embolism | Feb. 7, 2024 |
| Amari Crite | 14 | Illinois | -- | Jan. 25, 2024 |
| Amitral "AJ" Simon | 25 | New York | -- | Jan. 1, 2024 |
| James Oliver | 14 | Illinois | Stroke | Dec. 18, 2023 |
| Jeremy Medina | 17 | Georgia | Traumatic brain injury | Dec. 11, 2023 |
| Montrile Rouse Jr. | 13 | Georgia | -- | Dec. 11, 2023 |
| Reed Ryan | 22 | Minnesota | Sudden cardiac arrest | Nov. 28, 2023 |
| Shakiya Wilson | 15 | North Carolina | Sudden cardiac arrest | Nov. 20, 2023 |
| Cain Lee | 14 | Texas | Traumatic brain injury | Oct. 31, 2023 |
| Gwendolynn “Gwen” Deianara Owsley | 17 | Indiana | Sudden cardiac arrest | Oct. 27, 2023 |
| Julia Black | 16 | Florida | Sudden cardiac arrest | Oct. 27, 2023 |
| Kingston Davidson | 14 | Tennessee | -- | Oct. 23, 2023 |
| Jacob Wright | 46 | California | Heart attack | Oct. 14, 2023 |
| Angel Hernandez | 16 | Texas | -- | Oct. 13, 2023 |
| Elijah-Jay Mariano Rivera | 15 | Connecticut | -- | Oct. 10, 2023 |
| Keshaun Allen | 15 | Georgia | -- | Oct. 2, 2023 |
| Bre McKean | 17 | Ohio | -- | Sept. 29, 2023 |
| Marco Contreras | 47 | Texas | Sudden cardiac arrest | Sept. 22, 2023 |
| Kaden Gunter | 12 | Tennessee | Sudden cardiac arrest | Sept. 22, 2023 |
| Max Engle | 17 | Pennsylvania | Traumatic brain injury | Sept. 15, 2023 |
| Justin McAllister | 19 | California | Sudden cardiac arrest | Sept. 11, 2023 |
| Julio Oliveira | 13 | Texas | Brain aneurysm | Aug. 25, 2023 |
More
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The Courier Journal looks at the different steps needed to reach a positive outcome when the worst happens in high school sports.
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A lot of thought and effort went into our investigation of sudden deaths among high school athletes. Here’s an inside look into how we did it.