Remembering the tragic day Detroit Lions' Chuck Hughes died on the field 50 years ago

[nightwing1240]

On a gloomy, damp afternoon 50 years ago Sunday, 54,418 excited football fans made their pilgrimage to Tiger Stadium to see if the Detroit Lions, sporting a four-game winning streak and tied for first place with Minnesota in the NFC Central Division, could defeat the “Monsters of the Midway” led by Chicago’s Dick Butkus.

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After Hughes’ first-down catch, Landry threw the ball out of bounds to stop the clock, and then appeared to connect with end Charlie Sanders — until the tight end was slammed to the ground by Butkus just as the ball arrived.

With 1:02 showing on the game clock, the 28-year-old Hughes began running back to the huddle when suddenly he grabbed his chest. He dropped face down onto the turf at the 25-yard line.

Bears defensive end Ed O’Bradovich will never forget what he witnessed that day.

“After the play, I turned around and I saw Chuck fall to the ground about 12 yards away and when he was laying there his eyes were wide open,” O’Bradovich, now 81, said from his home in Illinois. “The Lions were out of timeouts and I was thinking he was trying to get an injury timeout so I started yelling at him, ‘You no-good so-and-so, and I screamed at the referee that he was faking it. But then I saw Butkus bend over and start waving to the Detroit bench for medical help and I thought, ‘Oh (expletive), what can this be.’"

more at link - https://www.yahoo.com/sports/remembering-tragic-day-detroit-lions-033107789.html
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I really did not remember this until I seen this article. I do love football but it is a dangerous game for the players not only while playing but long after they have retired.

[gibraltar72]

1. I had forgotten it also. Watched it on TV.

Biggest failing in life a Lions fan.

[nightwing1240]

2. Terrible tragedy that day

And I can understand. I should have listened to my dad when he quit the Browns because the Art Modell fired Paul Brown. That did it for him, he never watched another Browns game. But I keep waiting lol oh well.

[JT45242]

3. Looked it up ...had 75 percent blockage of arteries in his heart

Hard to imagine a guy with congenital arteriosclerosis issues being well enough to play a professional sport. But after the Hank Gathers incident on the basketball court, I know teams try to do a better job of looking for abnormalities that could be related to heart, aorta, marfan syndrome, etc.

Was surreal to watch.

[samnsara]

4. when my dtr was in high school in the mid 80s we all went to the homecoming game and one of the

..players on our side collapsed. His mom and sister...nurses...rushed the field to give him CPR.. He didnt make it.

He had an diagnosed heart problem.

[Rebl2]

6. Undiagnosed

heart problem or known heart problem?

[mountain grammy]

5. Incredibly sad..

I remember that day.