BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) — The father of a high school quarterback who died after collapsing during a game said his son was a dedicated athlete and student who woke up each morning to a mural of a Texas Longhorns helmet.
Friends, coaches and relatives of 17-year-old Reggie Garrett Jr. echoed those sentiments Saturday, a day after the West Orange-Stark High School senior collapsed on the sidelines shortly after throwing a touchdown pass. A cause of death hasn't been determined.
Garrett's father told The Beaumont Enterprise that his son was a giving person, and his family said the teen's humility separated him from most star athletes. He dreamed of playing for the Longhorns.
Reggie Garrett Sr. said he almost hollered for his son to take out the trash as he sat on his son's neatly made bed. On a nearby table was a stack of letters from colleges.
"He was a giving person," the father said. "He didn't hate nobody. He was all about love."
On Friday, his son jogged off the field during the second quarter after throwing his second touchdown pass of the game against Jasper. He gave offensive coordinator Toby Foreman a low five of congratulations, then fell.
He was taken to Memorial Hermann Baptist-Orange Hospital, where he died around 9:30 p.m., a hospital spokeswoman said. An autopsy has been scheduled.
Foreman was at the Mustangs' stadium at sunrise Saturday, unable to sleep the night before. He said he watched as someone placed the first memorial on the field: a bundle of 20 white roses on the 50-yard line.
The Mustangs starting quarterback was a school leader, he said.
The teen was a member of the National Honor Society and, after football, he hoped to become an architect. Garrett preferred a pair of black canvas sneakers and black-rimmed glasses instead of expensive basketball shoes and jewelry, his father said.
"He wasn't flashy. He was his own man," his father said. "He didn't follow anybody."
His son would often mow lawns for his neighbors and his aunt on the weekends, and play with neighborhood children.
"He was a humble child," his aunt Eotha LaVae Blanchard, 47, added. "He didn't ask you for anything, but he gave you everything."
Terry Rubin, 19, who played with Garrett last year, said he was always happy and joyful. "He never had a dull moment and always had a smile on his face," Rubin said.
On the field, he was a quiet leader, Foreman said.
"There wasn't a lot of celebrating coming out of him," said Foreman, the coach who was closest to Garrett. "He was a very mild-mannered young man. His parents did a great job raising him."
Funeral arrangements were pending, but a service would likely be held at the high school later in the week, his family said.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
Photo Caption: West Orange-Stark senior quarterback Reggie Garrett warms up before the start of Friday night's game Sept. 17 against Jasper. The quarterback for West Orange-Stark collapsed on the sideline of Friday's game against Jasper and later died. (AP Photo/The Beaumont Enterprise, Beth Rankin)
Friends, coaches and relatives of 17-year-old Reggie Garrett Jr. echoed those sentiments Saturday, a day after the West Orange-Stark High School senior collapsed on the sidelines shortly after throwing a touchdown pass. A cause of death hasn't been determined.
Garrett's father told The Beaumont Enterprise that his son was a giving person, and his family said the teen's humility separated him from most star athletes. He dreamed of playing for the Longhorns.
Reggie Garrett Sr. said he almost hollered for his son to take out the trash as he sat on his son's neatly made bed. On a nearby table was a stack of letters from colleges.
"He was a giving person," the father said. "He didn't hate nobody. He was all about love."
On Friday, his son jogged off the field during the second quarter after throwing his second touchdown pass of the game against Jasper. He gave offensive coordinator Toby Foreman a low five of congratulations, then fell.
He was taken to Memorial Hermann Baptist-Orange Hospital, where he died around 9:30 p.m., a hospital spokeswoman said. An autopsy has been scheduled.
Foreman was at the Mustangs' stadium at sunrise Saturday, unable to sleep the night before. He said he watched as someone placed the first memorial on the field: a bundle of 20 white roses on the 50-yard line.
The Mustangs starting quarterback was a school leader, he said.
The teen was a member of the National Honor Society and, after football, he hoped to become an architect. Garrett preferred a pair of black canvas sneakers and black-rimmed glasses instead of expensive basketball shoes and jewelry, his father said.
"He wasn't flashy. He was his own man," his father said. "He didn't follow anybody."
His son would often mow lawns for his neighbors and his aunt on the weekends, and play with neighborhood children.
"He was a humble child," his aunt Eotha LaVae Blanchard, 47, added. "He didn't ask you for anything, but he gave you everything."
Terry Rubin, 19, who played with Garrett last year, said he was always happy and joyful. "He never had a dull moment and always had a smile on his face," Rubin said.
On the field, he was a quiet leader, Foreman said.
"There wasn't a lot of celebrating coming out of him," said Foreman, the coach who was closest to Garrett. "He was a very mild-mannered young man. His parents did a great job raising him."
Funeral arrangements were pending, but a service would likely be held at the high school later in the week, his family said.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
Photo Caption: West Orange-Stark senior quarterback Reggie Garrett warms up before the start of Friday night's game Sept. 17 against Jasper. The quarterback for West Orange-Stark collapsed on the sideline of Friday's game against Jasper and later died. (AP Photo/The Beaumont Enterprise, Beth Rankin)
