20-year-old football player for Emporia State, Brexten Green, perished on Saturday after falling down a cliff at Grand Lake in northeastern Oklahoma.
After redshirting the previous season, Green, a native of Cashion, Oklahoma, was ready to start his second season with the Hornets.
The death was acknowledged on Sunday in a news release from Emporia State.
Football coach at Emporia State, Garin Higgins, issued a statement saying, "It's a terrible day for Emporia State football and just a devastating loss for the Green family.
Brexten was a fantastic teammate who had a great deal of passion for this football program.
He demonstrated it by his spirit of competition, hard ethic, and desire to stand for his colleagues. He will always be a member of our football team, the Hornets.