The Only Player to Die in a Bears Game

The Only Player to Die in a Bears Game

We always say to leave it all out on the field and go the extra mile, 110 percent. Nobody embodies this more than the only player to ever die on the field in NFL history, Chuck Hughes. Playing college ball at Texas Western College, Chuck set many records at the school that would become the University of Texas at El Paso.

The most all-purpose yards in a single game, 401 in 1965 against North Texas State (he is also second with 360 the same year against Arizona State)
The most yards per reception for a single game, 34.9, also in 1965 against North Texas—this is also an NCAA record
The most receptions in a single game, 17, also against Arizona State in 1965
Second in all-purpose yards for a season, with 2044 in 1966
First in all-purpose yards per game for a season, 204 in 1965
Second in all-purpose yards per game for his career with 132
Fifth in all-purpose yards all-time with 3,989
Second in career receiving touchdowns with 19 and yardage with 2,882
He was inducted into the UTEP Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.

In 1967 he was drafted by the Eagles and played 3 seasons before being traded to Detroit. Although listed as a WR he mostly played special teams earning 15 passes throughout his five-year career.


On October 24, 1971, the Lions hosted the Bears at Tiger Stadium. Late in the 4th quarter, with Detroit trailing 28–23, the Lions were driving into Chicago territory and Hughes, who entered the game as an injury replacement, caught a pass from quarterback Greg Landry for 32 yards and a first down at the Bears' 37-yard line.

Three plays later, Landry threw a pass that tight end Charlie Sanders dropped near the end zone. Hughes, a decoy on the play, began running back to the huddle with 1:02 showing on the clock. Suddenly, he dropped to the turf clutching his chest around the 20-yard line.[3] Hughes collapsed near Bears linebacker Dick Butkus, who saw him begin to convulse violently on the field. Butkus motioned to the sideline frantically to get Hughes's assistance.

Both teams' doctors and trainers, along with a physician who happened to be attending the game, ran to Hughes to try to save him. An ambulance was called for and arrived to take Hughes to Henry Ford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:34 pm that afternoon. He was 28 years old. The game was played to its conclusion in front of a now-stunned silent crowd in Tiger Stadium, with the Bears' lead holding. The Lions awaited word of Hughes' condition after the game and the players were informed once word had broken that he was dead.

A postmortem examination revealed that Hughes was suffering from undiagnosed and advanced arteriosclerosis (one of his coronary arteries was 75% blocked) and that he had a family history of heart disease. The direct cause of death was coronary thrombosis, which caused a massive myocardial infarction that cut off the blood flow to his heart. Hughes was buried in San Antonio, Texas, and all 40 of his Lions teammates attended his funeral, including head coach Joe Schmidt. He was survived by his widow, Sharon Leah, and by his son, who was 1 year and 11 months old, Brandon Shane. A $10,000 trust fund was set up for his son by an insurance company. His widow filed a $21.5 million malpractice lawsuit against Henry Ford Hospital in 1972 for not diagnosing his condition when he was hospitalized after complaining of chest pains. The lawsuit was settled on October 3, 1974, for an undisclosed amount of money.