Seneschal2
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Darryl Stingley
Those who saw him play will agree he was quite a talent. The career-ending injury will never be forgotten.
---Former pro football wide receiver Darryl Stingley, a quadriplegic who became a symbol of the game's violence, died early this morning at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. He was 55.
The cause of death was not immediately available. An autopsy will be performed later today.
Stingley's life changed forever on Aug. 12, 1978 in a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. A wide receiver for the New England Patriots, Stingley was the victim of a vicious but legal hit by Oakland Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum. The blow broke Stingley's neck and leaving him a quadriplegic for life.
Stingley grew up in Chicago and was a star player at John Marshall High School, where he was a standout running back. He received a scholarship to Purdue University, where he was converted to wide receiver. He was a first-round draft pick of the Patriots in 1973.
In 1983, he wrote "Happy to Be Alive," a memoir of his life and injury.
He continued to call Chicago home.
Those who saw him play will agree he was quite a talent. The career-ending injury will never be forgotten.