Tulsa head football coach Tre Lamb has announced plans to honor the wife of one of his assistant coaches after her sudden death at just 30 years old.

Kayla Saager-Beckley, a former standout soccer player at Binghamton University and a Long Island native, died unexpectedly last Wednesday. She was married to Tulsa outside linebackers coach John Beckley and was pregnant with the couple’s daughter, Sawyer.

According to Lamb, Saager-Beckley had been working out shortly before she was found unresponsive at around 7 a.m.

“She was working out, 10 minutes later she was found unresponsive,” Lamb said during a press conference Monday.

Lamb said the tragedy has been extremely difficult for Beckley and the entire Tulsa football family.

“It’s just been a really hard week for him, for us as a staff, our coach’s wives,” Lamb said. “She was 30 years old. She was pregnant with their daughter, Sawyer.”

The team held a memorial for Saager-Beckley on Sunday night. Tulsa players will also wear a special helmet sticker in her honor during their next game.

Binghamton University announced Saager-Beckley’s death last Thursday.

“Binghamton women’s soccer is profoundly saddened by the passing of Kayla Saager-Beckley,” head coach Neel Bhattacharjee said in a statement per the New York Post. “Kayla was a dangerous and dynamic forward with a true gift for finding the back of the net, and her contributions helped elevate the competitiveness and stature of our program. To this day we stand on her shoulders. Beyond the field, she was known for her big heart and her deep love of family. We are devastated by this loss and send our heartfelt sympathy and support to her parents Ron and Noranne and her husband John. Kayla, you are forever and always a Bearcat. May you rest in peace.”

A cause of death has not been publicly announced.

Saager-Beckley grew up in East Islip, New York, and became one of the top players in Binghamton women’s soccer history.

She scored 22 goals during her two seasons with the Bearcats and served as a team captain. She graduated in 2019 after earning all-region honors twice and being named the 2017 America East Striker of the Year.

Binghamton remembered her as one of the most feared strikers ever to play for the school.

After college, Saager-Beckley continued her soccer career overseas, playing professionally in the Czech Republic.

She later moved into coaching, spending four years as an assistant coach at Troy University in Alabama. More recently, she began working in college soccer scouting and recruiting.

Saager-Beckley moved to Tulsa with her husband after Beckley joined the university’s football coaching staff in 2025.

Her death came as Tulsa began its new football season. The Golden Hurricane defeated Sam Houston over the weekend to improve to 2-0, but Saager-Beckley remained very much on the minds of the coaching staff.

Lamb asked supporters to keep both families in their thoughts following the sudden loss.

“We just ask that you please pray for the Saager family, the Beckley family,” he said. “She’s definitely in our thoughts and prayers