Tulsa head football coach Tre Lamb has revealed plans to honor the wife of one of his assistant coaches after her sudden death last week. Kayla Saager-Beckley, a former standout Division I soccer player who grew up on Long Island, died last Wednesday at the age of 30. She was pregnant at the time with the couple's first child, a daughter named Sawyer.
According to Lamb, Saager-Beckley's death happened around 7 a.m. "She was working out, 10 minutes later she was found unresponsive," Lamb said during a press conference on Monday.
Lamb described the toll the loss has taken on the program. "It's just been a really hard week for him, for us as a staff, our coach's wives. 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."
Saager-Beckley had recently married outside linebackers coach John Beckley, who joined Tulsa's coaching staff in 2025. Binghamton University announced her death last Thursday in a news release, though no cause of death was listed.
A Standout Career at Binghamton
Saager-Beckley, who hailed from East Islip, scored 22 goals over two seasons at Binghamton, where the program described her as "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 paid tribute to her impact on the program. "Binghamton women's soccer is profoundly saddened by the passing of Kayla Saager-Beckley," he said in a statement. "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 her playing days at Binghamton, Saager-Beckley continued her soccer career professionally 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, and relocated to Tulsa alongside her husband.
Tulsa's football team defeated Sam Houston over the weekend to improve to 2-0, and plans to wear a helmet sticker in Saager-Beckley's memory at its next game.
