By Ashlyn Beck | News Editor
After a two-year battle against leukemia, former Baylor track and field All-American Jayson Baldridge passed away Aug. 18 at 26 years old.
The Houston native graduated from Baylor in May 2022 after three seasons on the track and field team, where he was an All-American hurdler, conference scorer, team captain and Big 12 Champion in the 4×400 relay. But none of these accolades compares to who Baldridge truly was, according to head track and field coach Michael Ford.
Ford expressed his condolences for Baldridge’s family and shared his experience working with Baldridge, describing him as an “amazing young man on and off the track.”
“Everyone who knew him loved him,” Ford said. “He touched so many lives during his time at Baylor, and beyond. I loved his big smile and his outgoing spirit. Baylor track and field and I will truly miss him, but he will be in our hearts forever.”
The Baylor track and field X account also shared a post expressing condolences to Baldridge’s family, saying he was gone “far too soon.”
“Always a tough day when you lose one of your family,” the post reads. “We mourn our loss while celebrating the time we got to share with Jayson, forever a Bear.”
Baldridge was a fighter on and off the track. In April 2025, he organized a GoFundMe to raise funds for his two-year battle with leukemia.
“This next round of chemotherapy will not be easy or cheap,” Baldridge’s GoFundMe page reads. “Any and all support will help. I am deeply grateful for your support.”
The page ends with a simple sign-off: “Keep fighting.”
A service in Baldridge’s memory will be held at 11 a.m. Aug. 29 at Allen Dave Funeral Homes and Crematorium in Houston.
