By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-17 23:32:54 | Updated at 2026-08-18 03:44:09
5 hours ago
A beloved Texas high school football coach and his wife, a junior high school teacher, have tragically died following a single-vehicle car crash over the weekend.
Jeremy Jenkins, 51, who served as the athletic director and head football coach at East Bernard High School, and his wife Brandy, 46, were killed on Saturday night in Wharton County.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the couple were traveling along State Highway 60 just after 10pm when the vehicle approached a curve, went off the side of the roadway and overturned.
Both Jeremy and Brandy were pronounced dead at the scene by authorities, leaving the Texas community grieving just days after the start of the new academic year.
The tragedy leaves behind the couple's three sons, Tyson, Gage and Jake, as neighboring school districts and local sports organizations rally to support the family.
In the wake of the accident, tributes have poured in from across the region to honor two educators who made a lasting mark on their students, athletes and colleagues.
Jeremy Jenkins, 51, who served as the athletic director and head football coach at East Bernard High School, and his wife Brandy, 46, were killed in a car crash on Saturday night
The tragedy leaves behind the couple's three sons, Tyson, Gage and Jake
'Right now, football doesn't matter,' the East Bernard Athletic Booster Club said in a statement. 'Wins don't matter. None of it does.
'What matters is surrounding these boys with the same kind of love and support their family has given to so many of ours.'
The booster club added: 'So we will do what East Bernard does. We will show up. We will wrap our arms around these boys, their family, our coaches and our athletes. And we will carry one another through the days ahead.'
East Bernard ISD Superintendent Courtney Hudgins confirmed the tragic loss in a poignant letter sent to parents, staff, and community members on Sunday.
'Jeremy and Brandy were much more than their titles or the roles they held within our schools,' Hudgins wrote. 'They were colleagues, educators, mentors, friends and family.'
'East Bernard has always been a place where people show up for one another, and now is a time when that love and support are needed more than ever,' Hudgins said.
'In the days ahead, we will need to lean on one another with love, patience, compassion and grace.'
Hudgins remembered Coach Jenkins as a dedicated mentor who 'watched film non-stop, coached up our kids in the most loving way, truly wanted what was best for ALL kids, challenged us to see things through a different lens, loved his fellow coaches, and was an 'all in' kind of man.'
The couple were traveling along State Highway 60 just after 10pm when the vehicle approached a curve, went off the side of the roadway and overturned
Brandy had recently joined the district as a teacher at East Bernard Junior High School
Brandy had recently joined the district as a teacher at East Bernard Junior High School, according to local reports, with district officials noting she had instantly connected with her students during her first days on campus.
Before taking over at East Bernard, Coach Jenkins previously served as athletic director at Harmony ISD, where school officials expressed their condolences and recalled his lasting influence.
'Jeremy and Brandy were a blessing to the school community,' Harmony ISD shared in a statement, noting that neighboring school districts plan to wear East Bernard's maroon colors this week in solidarity.
Jeremy was preparing to lead East Bernard into his third season at the helm, having guided the Brahmas to the Class 3A Division II state semifinals during a standout 2025 campaign.
The Brahmas had been scheduled to open their 2026 regular season at home on August 28, with the district now providing on-site grief counselors.
