A 15-Year-Old Football Player Died of Seizure. Now His Team Is Dedicating This Season to ‘Living Like’ Him

A high school football team in Louisiana is playing this season in memory of a special teammate.

Michael Laborde, 15, a rising sophomore at Holy Savior Menard High School in Alexandria, La., died of a seizure on July 4.

Now, his teammates are honoring the student athlete by “playing like Mike,” they say.

The football team is taking to the field this fall — but also taking time to remember the “ideal player” whose smile lit up the room.

“He was just one of the best teammates you could ask for,” Lane Evans told KALB-TV. “He was going to focus on you to make your day better no matter what. He left a great legacy.”

His cousin, incoming freshman Connor Lacombe, was set to suit up alongside Laborde this season.

“Every time with him is a story,” Lacombe said. ”Just every memory. And every time I was with him, just something better would happen.”

Laborde was playing video games with his cousin when he suffered a seizure as the family gathered for the holiday, Laborde’s mother Stephanie told the news station.

”We had a wonderful family barbecue, our immediate family and my parents and my brother and nephew,” Laborde recalled. “And we sat around talking football and eating and having a great time.”

Off the field, the student athlete excelled in the classroom and served as class president in the 7th through 9th grades, according to his obituary.

And despite being busy with football and schoolwork, for Laborde, family was paramount.

“One of the deepest joys in Michael’s life was the special bond he shared with his brother, John Eric, and his Papa, Gerald LaCombe,” his obituary reads. “The three of them were a tight-knit trio—equal parts silliness, joy, and loyalty. Whether they were trading jokes, whispering hilarious secrets that only they understood, or just spending quiet moments together, their connection was built on love, laughter, and unshakable support.”

Now, his teammates will continue to remember him by wearing his  jersey number as a decal on their uniforms.

“With the 61 on our helmet, it feels like he’s with us,” Lacombe said about wearing his cousin’s uniform number. “I know he’s with us at all times. I know he’s out there at practice right now. He’s going to be with us in every game, in every practice, in every scrimmage, everything.”