Autopsy to Be Completed Today

An autopsy on Costa Mesa High football player Matt Colby, who suffered a fatal brain injury during a game Friday night, is expected to be completed today, a spokesman for the Orange County coroner’s office said Sunday.

Colby, 17, collapsed on the sideline after leaving the game in the first quarter against Huntington Beach Ocean View and never regained consciousness. Colby was taken by ambulance from Westminster High to UCI Trauma Center in Orange, where a CT scan revealed no sign of brain activity.

He was pronounced dead by a hospital neurologist at 10:35 a.m. Saturday, then remained on life support for approximately 24 hours until his organs could be harvested for transplantation, said Colby’s uncle, Deron Colby. Deron Colby said recipients have been found for each of the organs, and that one patient will receive several of them.

“A negative has turned into some positive things,” said Deron Colby, who hopes to learn more about the recipients.

Colby, a 6-foot, 185-pound defensive end, appeared to have suffered the injury during a kickoff four minutes into the game. He remained in the game for a few plays before exiting the field on his own, complaining that his head hurt. He also told a trainer that he felt tingling in his head and legs. Shortly after, he lost consciousness.

Kelli Colby, the player’s mother, said in a statement she issued Saturday that paramedics were able to briefly restart Colby’s heart and breathing, but he remained unresponsive and tests ultimately revealed he was brain dead.

Costa Mesa Coach Dave Perkins, who coached Colby at Costa Mesa Estancia High the previous two seasons, said the only previous physical problem Colby had was Sept. 15, when he complained of a headache after a game against Westminster.

Colby is survived by his mother, three uncles (Deron, Pat and David) and grandparents Mike and Marti Colby. Funeral arrangements are pending.