Friends, colleagues mourn sports reporter who died in Peach Bowl-bound flight

Carley McCord, a Louisiana sports reporter and relative of LSU offensive coordinator, among La. plane crash victims

Carley McCord, a sports reporter at a Louisiana TV station and the daughter-in-law of LSU’s offensive coordinator, was among the victims who died in a Peach Bowl-bound plane crash Saturday. (Headshot courtesy of WDSU)

Carley McCord, a sports reporter at a Louisiana TV station and the daughter-in-law of LSU's offensive coordinator, was among the victims who died in a Peach Bowl-bound plane crash Saturday.

McCord’s husband, Steven Ensminger Jr., confirmed her death to The Associated Press. His dad, Steve Ensminger is Louisiana State University’s offensive coordinator.

The Tigers play the Oklahoma Sooners in Saturday’s Peach Bowl at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

On Saturday afternoon, friends and colleagues shared tributes to McCord, who worked at WDSU in New Orleans, on social media.

"It is with broken hearts that we share that WDSU lost a beloved member of our team today. Our hearts are with the McCord and Ensminger families at this time," a tweet from the TV station reads.

In a statement published by ESPN, WDSU president and general manager Joel Vilmenay said, "Carley's passion for sports journalism and her deep knowledge of Louisiana sports, from high school to the professional ranks, made her an exceptional journalist."

A fellow reporter at the station, Fletcher Mackel, described McCord as “smart, funny, hard working - a friend to everyone.”

"It was impossible not to like Carley McCord," he wrote in a tweet.

Brody Miller, an LSU beat reporter for The Athletic, shared a video of McCord dancing with the elder Ensminger on her and his son's wedding day.

The flight, which left Lafayette Regional Airport at 9:20 a.m. was headed to DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, according to Flightaware.com.

Authorities have confirmed five deaths in the crash.