List of American football players who died during their careers
This is a list of players of American football who died while still on a team roster. Included are players in professional and college football who have died of any cause. Players who ended their careers to join the military and died while in service are included. Each player is listed with the team to which he was assigned at the time of his death (or, in the case of military members, the last team for which they played before enlisting), rather than the team with which he spent most of his career. Players who were free agents at the time of their death are not listed.
Players who ended their careers to join the military
This table is only for players who ended their NFL career to join the military in a time of war, including players who were drafted into the military, and were killed in action.
| Name | Age | Year died |
Position | Team | Last year played |
War served in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Basca | 27 | 1944 | HB | Philadelphia Eagles | 1941 | World War II |
| Charlie Behan | 24 | 1945 | End | Detroit Lions | 1942 | World War II |
| Harry Benson | 34 | 1943 | G | Philadelphia Eagles | 1935 | World War II |
| Keith Birlem | 28 | 1943 | End | Washington Redskins | 1939 | World War II |
| Al Blozis | 26 | 1945 | OT | New York Giants | 1944 | World War II |
| Young Bussey | 27 | 1945 | QB | Chicago Bears | 1945 | World War II |
| Howard "Smiley" Johnson | 28 | 1945 | G | Green Bay Packers | 1941 | World War II |
| Bob Kalsu | 25 | 1970 | G | Buffalo Bills | 1968 | Vietnam War |
| Alex Ketzko | 25 | 1944 | T | Detroit Lions | 1943 | World War II |
| Jack Lummus | 29 | 1945 | End | New York Giants | 1937 | World War II |
| Don Steinbrunner | 35 | 1967 | T | Cleveland Browns | 1953 | Vietnam War |
| Len Supulski | 22 | 1943 | End | Philadelphia Eagles | 1942 | World War II |
| Pat Tillman | 27 | 2004 | S | Arizona Cardinals | 2001 | War in Afghanistan |
| Don Wemple | 27 | 1944 | End | Brooklyn Dodgers | 1941 | World War II |
| Chet Wetterlund | 26 | 1944 | HB | Detroit Lions | 1942 | World War II |
| Waddy Young | 28 | 1945 | End | Brooklyn Dodgers | 1940 | World War II |
| Dave Schreiner | 24 | 1945 | End | Detroit Lions | 1943 | World War II |
Arena Football League
- Johnathan Goddard, 27, Colorado Crush, defensive end, motorcycle accident (2008)
- Al Lucas, 26, Los Angeles Avengers, defensive tackle, in-game neck injury (2005)
- Justin Skaggs, 28, Utah Blaze, quarterback, stage III oligodendroglioma brain cancer (2007)
- Johnie Kirton, 26, San Jose SaberCats, running back, methadone toxicity/unknown (2012)
- Julian Yearwood, 31, Bakersfield Blitz, fullback/linebacker, clogged arteries (2003)[1]
- Chandler Williams, 27, Tampa Bay Storm, wide receiver, cardiac arrest (2013)
National Football League
† Davis was under contract when he died though did not play in a game due to his illness.
†† Johnson was injured in a pre-season game and did not play in a regular season game.
Canadian Football League
| Name | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mylan Hicks | 23 | DB | Calgary Stampeders | Homicide | 2016 |
| Joe McKnight | 28 | RB | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Homicide | 2016 |
| Derrell Robertson | 27 | DE | Las Vegas Posse | Automobile accident | 1994 |
| Adrian Robinson | 25 | LB | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Suicide | 2015 |
| Ted Watkins | 27 | WR | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Shot while robbing a liquor store | 1968 |
Robertson was notable for being posthumously selected in a dispersal draft by the Ottawa Rough Riders, as nobody in the CFL was aware of his death at the time of his drafting.
Continental Football League
- Glen Hepburn, 29, two-way end, Omaha Mustangs, injuries sustained during a game (1968)[2]
XFL
- Donald Sellers, 26, WR, Las Vegas Outlaws, car accident (2001)
- Troy Stark, 28, OL, New York/New Jersey Hitmen, complications from surgery (2001)
College
Team vehicle and plane accidents
- Purdue: 14 members of football team were killed in a railroad collision (1903).
- Northwestern Oklahoma A&M: 5 football players were killed in a head-on highway crash (1966).
- Marshall: 37 members died in an airplane crash (1970).
- Wichita State: most of the starting players and coaches, 31 in total, died in an airplane crash (1970).
- Cal Poly Mustangs football team: 16 players and 6 others died in an airplane crash (1960).
- Southwestern Oklahoma State: 4 football players were killed in a car accident (1996).
See also
References
- "Clogged arteries killed player". The Tuscaloosa News. September 12, 2003. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
- "Award Set Up in Memory of Player". Ironwood Daily Globe. Associated Press. May 21, 1969.
- "Police: Washington State QB Tyler Hilinski found dead in apparent suicide". ESPN.com.
- Mark Schlabach. "Utah Utes RB Ty Jordan, Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year, dies". ESPN.com. Retrieved 26 Dec 2020.
- "Body identified as Kosta Karageorge". ESPN.com.
- "Maryland's Jordan McNair Died of Heatstroke According to OL's Family". Bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 11 August 2018.