Has an NFL player ever died on the field during a game?

Has an NFL player ever died on the field during a game?

Chuck Hughes being carted off the field (Image via Detroit Free Press)

When you think of ball games, most people don’t think of them as a ‘dangerous sport’ like combat sports. But football is an exception due to its physical nature, and to say that NFL players put their lives at stake every time they step on the field won’t be an exaggeration.

The horrific incident that happened during the Bengals-Bills in a Monday Night Football game shook most people and showed the extremely ugly side of the game that nobody ever wants to see. The Buffalo Bills DB Damar Harlin suffered a cardiac arrest after taking a heavy hit from the Bengals WR Tee Higgins. He was transferred to a local hospital after he received CPR on the field.

Injuries are a part of this violent game, numerous brutal career-ending injuries have happened in its long history. But a horrific injury like this makes one wonder: Has an NFL player ever died on the field during the game? And the answer is yes. There have been several football-related deaths that have happened across the country in the past years. However, in NFL history, there’s only one player who has ever died on the field.

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The death happened on the 24th of October 1971. Chuck Hughes, a wide receiver who played for the Detroit Lions, was the one who unfortunately died on the field. He was just 28 years old.

Related: Damar Hamlin’s teammate Stefon Diggs spotted at the hospital to check on the safety who suffered a dreadful injury in the Bengals-Bills game

Chuck Hughes, the NFL player who died on the field

With just 10 minutes left in their game against the Chicago Bears, Chuck Hughes came in as a substitute for an injured player. During the final two minutes of the game, he received a 32-yard pass from his quarterback Greg Landry, and was tackled down by the Chicago Bears defenders.

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Chuck Hughes (Photo by Jim Mone/AP)

Two plays after the tackle, Hughes collapsed down on the field while clutching his chest. Chicago defenders thought Hughes was faking an injury to get an extra timeout, but Bears linebacker Dick Butkus sensed something was wrong and called for medical staff. They examined the wide receiver to find out that he was not breathing. Medical staff attempted CPR on Hughes, but it did not pay off. He was eventually carted off the field and rushed to the hospital.

The doctors’ attempt to revive WR did not succeed, as he was already long gone. The autopsy report later revealed that an untreated heart disease led Chuck Hughes’ arteries to thicken, obstructing the flow of blood. A 28-year-old passing away from this illness was described by doctors as an uncommon and exceptional incident.

Chuck Hughes died on the NFL field. To this day, he remains the only player to die on the field, but the dangerous game of football has seen many brutal injuries, which remains an ugly side of the game that nobody ever wants to admit exists.

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