Tulsa head football coach Tre Lamb used part of his weekly press conference on Monday to remember Kayla Saager-Beckley, the wife of Tulsa outside linebackers coach John Beckley, who died suddenly last Wednesday at age 30.
Saager-Beckley was pregnant at the time of her death, which occurred around 7 a.m., according to Lamb. “She was working out, 10 minutes later she was found unresponsive,” Lamb said.
“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. It’s been tough on our staff. We had a memorial for her last night. We just ask that you please pray for the Saager family, the Beckley family. We’re going to honor her with a helmet sticker this week at our game, and she’s definitely in our thoughts and prayers.”
Binghamton University, where Saager-Beckley starred as a soccer player, announced her death last Thursday in a news release. No cause of death has been given.
Saager-Beckley grew up in East Islip on Long Island and went on to score 22 goals over two seasons at Binghamton, which called her “one of the most feared strikers” to wear a Bearcats jersey. She served as team captain and graduated in 2019 after being named a two-time all-region player and the 2017 America East Striker of the Year.
Binghamton head coach Neel Bhattacharjee released a statement following her death.
“Binghamton women’s soccer is profoundly saddened by the passing of Kayla Saager-Beckley. 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.”
After college, Saager-Beckley played professional soccer overseas in the Czech Republic before spending four years as an assistant coach at Troy University in Alabama. She had recently moved into college soccer scouting and recruiting.
She relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her husband after he joined the university’s football coaching staff in 2025.
Tulsa’s football team, which will honor Saager-Beckley with a helmet sticker this week, improved to 2-0 on the season after defeating Sam Houston over the weekend.
