NFL Players That Nearly Died on Field

 

Fans of football remember the best goals but they also remember the worst football injuries of all time. some unforgettable moments on the field include those in which players have a brush with death.Here are some of the players who almost died on the field

1 Jeff Fuller Injury 1989

jeff fuller played for the san francisco 49ers from 1984 to 1989 and he won three super bowls in his six seasons with that team during that time he had made quite a star-studded name for himself, unfortunately, tragedy struck during an intense match against the Patriots back in October of 1989 at the stadium of stanford university during a tackle fuller's helmet collided with the helmet of an opponent player and the helmet to helmet struck his head against the hard turf it was gruesome to witness as his head bounced around bonelessly and his upper body collapsed backward like a rag doll it's a miracle that fuller even managed to survive this career-ending injury which included a spinal injury broken neck partial paralysis and arm paralysis even after the treatment fuller's arm remained paralyzed and he was never able to play again however he did regain mobility so thank God for small miracles

2 Johnny Knox Injury 1990

sometimes the real factors of injury don't come out until we see them during slow-motion replays johnny knox's injury is a prime example of just that many football lovers still remember seeing it on tv and gasping in shock and horror but it still isn't enough to encompass how truly awful his injury was a former chicago bear wide receiver johnny knox was playing in a late season game against the seattle hawks knox was attempting to catch a pass when he lost the ball on a fumble when he dove down to get the ball he collided in midair with the defensive end anthony hargrove who was also going for the ball at the same time the calendar ended in seconds but the impact was devastating if you replay the clip slowly you can actually see how bad his injury was knox almost bent in half in the wrong way his back was almost touching his tailbone which shook everyone to the core it's nothing short of a miracle that johnny knox was able to live after this horrendous journey the injury includes multiple vertebrae fractures and severe nerve damage Knox had to undergo an intense spinal fusion surgery before he could walk properly once more and in just a blink of an eye johnny knox lost his career, athletic ability and even his ability to walk

3 Darryl Stingley Injury 1978

The death of Daryl stingley's brilliant career at the ripe age of 26 reminds us how ruthless football can be and it serves as a reminder to the NFL to provide more and more protection to the players especially the defenseless and utterly vulnerable receivers stingley's injuries remains one of the most heartbreaking ones especially when we considered that he was so young and was one of the team's highest-paid jewels during a preseason game of the new England patriot versus the raiders the raiders safety jack tatum also notoriously known as the assassin for being a fearsome tough hitter took a devastating hit on Daryl while he was trying to catch an off-target throw stingley's helmet was crushed by Tatum’s shoulder pad which left Stingley in writhing pain on the field unable to walk or move at all this resulted in severe compression of its spinal cord to broken vertebrae and body paralysis Stingley was never able to walk or play again due to complications caused by this injury daryl Stingley passed away in 2007.

4 Alex Smith Injury 2018

Alex Smith also shares a similarly miserable fate with Joe Thiesman because boy did their legs bear the brunt of their entire career A former NFL quarterback Alex smith suffered one of the most gruesome football injuries witnessed in the last 25 years back in November of 2018 Smith was tackled in the backfield by two Houston texan defenders with the brutal impact smith's right leg twisted awkwardly at an angle beneath him at a very unnatural angle I might add on top of the sheer misery and pain of breaking both his right tibia and right fibula smith also acquired a flesh-eating bacterial infection after the initial surgery hell he nearly got his leg amputated just so he could live

5 Joe Thiesman Injury 1985

in a Monday night game in 1985, one of the most gruesome injuries in the nfl lore was witnessed by millions of Americans on national television during a match between the washington redskins versus the new york giants the popular quarterback of the washington redskins Joe Thiesman was hit immensely hard by lawrence taylor the star linebacker of the New York Giants it was truly a hit to remember when Taylor dragged Thiesman down and collapse on his lower right leg ouch at the time Thiesman could literally feel nothing below his knee but to spectators, his leg literally broke apart like a matchstick his injuries include a compound fracture of the tibia and the fibula when he was sacked brutally by Taylor when the bone ripping out of his skin Thiesman had to undergo multiple surgeries just to be able to walk again sadly this ended joe Thiesman 's 11-year career