The List of 28 deceased Bengals players

[oldschooler]

[quote][size=5][b]The List of 28 deceased Bengals players[/b][/size]
By Chick Ludwig | Tuesday, September 23, 2008, 09:05 AM


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[b]LET THE BELL TOLL

28 TIMES IN HONOR

OF THESE PLAYERS[/b]

===This entry will remain at the top of my blog page for 24 hours. LUDWIG AT LARGE encourages all Bengals fans to tell their favorite stories of these players in the comments portion of my blog. Note: Cause of death is listed where known.===

Cincinnati Bengals fans asked for it, so here it is.

“The List” of deceased Bengals players.

LUDWIG AT LARGE research shows there are 28 dead Bengals in the 41-year history of the franchise.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the following for their friendship and support in helping me pursue my passion of finding, and staying in touch with, Bengals alumni players.

Isaac Curtis, Bob Trumpy, John Bennett, Patrick Scoggin, John Turney, Ange Coniglio, Eric Ball, Jim Anderson and Tadd McGuire.

The NFL Alumni Association and Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, have aided my research greatly.

LUDWIG AT LARGE wants loyal readers to know that this list will stand for 24 hours at the top of my blog.

The names of the men you are about to read are too important to me to be shoved down the page … and lost in cyberspace.

Please send all Bengals alumni information to Chick Ludwig at cludwig@daytondailynews.com or 937-225-2253

[b]“28 DEAD BENGALS”[/b]

LB DOUG ADAMS (1971-74), Ohio State — Died Aug. 9, 1997 (age 47); hit by car riding his bicycle

S JERRY ANDERSON (1977), Oklahoma — Died May 27, 1989 (age 35); drowning victim

TE/WR DON BASS (1978-81), Houston — Died Oct. 26, 1989 (age 33); gunshot wound

CB LEWIS BILLUPS (1986-91), North Alabama — Died April 9, 1994 (age 30); car crash

DB MIKE BRIM (1993-95), Virginia Union — Died April 19, 2005 (age 39); gunshot wound

DT ROBERT BROWN (1975-76), Arkansas-Pine Bluff — Died Dec. 10, 1998 (age 58)

LB FRANK BUNCOM (1968), Southern California — Died Sept. 14, 1969 (age 29); died in his sleep

DT STEVE CHOMYSZAK (1968-73), Syracuse — Died Jan. 25, 1988 (age 43); pancreatic cancer

FB BOOBIE CLARK (1973-78), Bethune-Cookman — Died Oct. 25, 1988 (age 38); blood clot in lungs

LB SHERRILL HEADRICK (1968), Texas Christian — Died Sept. 10, 2008 (age 71); cancer

DB JO JO HEATH (1980), Pittsburgh — Died Dec. 29, 2002 (age 45); stabbed to death

OT VERN HOLLAND (1971-79), Tennessee State — Died April 20, 1998 (age 49)

DB BERNARD JACKSON (1972-76), Washington State — Died May 26, 1997 (age 46); liver cancer

DT WALTER JOHNSON (1977), Cal State-Los Angeles — Died June 29, 1999 (age 57)

DB BOBBY KEMP (1981-86), Cal State-Fullerton — Teammates confirm cause of death as suicide; date still being researched

RB RON LAMB (1968-71), South Carolina — Died June 20, 2000 (age 56)

OT RUFUS MAYES (1970-78), Ohio State — Died Jan. 1, 1990 (age 42); bacterial meningitis.

LB WAYNE McCLURE (1968, ‘70), Mississippi — Died June 12, 2005 (age 62)

PK HORST MUHLMANN (1969-74), No college, native of Dortmund, Germany — Died Nov. 17, 1991 (age 51)

WR CHIP MYERS (1969-76), Northwestern Oklahoma — Died Feb. 23, 1999 (age 53); heart attack

G PETE PERREAULT (1969), Boston U. — Died Dec. 8, 2001 (age 62)

LB BRIAN PILLMAN (1984), Miami of Ohio — Died Oct. 5, 1997 (age 35); heart disease

DE NICK ROMAN (1970-71), Ohio State — Died May 18, 2003 (age 55); heart attack

TE DAN ROSS (1979-83, ‘85), Northeastern — Died May 16, 2006 (age 49); heart attack

WR SPEEDY THOMAS (1969-72), Utah — Died July 29, 2003 (age 56)

DT WILSON WHITLEY (1977-82), Houston — Died Oct. 25, 1992 (age 37); heart condition

WR MONK WILLIAMS (1968), Arkansas-Pine Bluff — Died March 18, 2003 (age 58)

OT ERNIE WRIGHT (1968-71), Ohio State — Died March 20, 2007 (age 67)[/quote]



[url="http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/chickludwig/entries/2008/09/23/the_list_of_28_dead_bengals_pl.html"]http://www.daytondailynews.com/o/content/s...bengals_pl.html[/url]

[oldschooler]

One of the comments to the above posting . . .


[b]By Bruce [/b]

September 23, 2008 8:31 PM | Link to this

Chick,Thanks for those of us that no longer live close to Cincinnati we like these updates. Did not know about B Kemp? Very sorry to hear that. Always liked Bobby.My reguards to the family.[b]Bruce Reimers[/b]

[ccartman2]

Wow these guys had some short life spans.

[texbengal]

Wow - I remember a lot of those names. 3 guys died of gunshot or stabbings, and a lot of guys died young.

I didn't know about Bobby Kemp, either. Very sad. Billups self-destructed... some thought that was a suicide as well.

[|ArmyBengal|]

It'll be interesting to see the "cause of death" for the steroids era NLF players. I bet there will be lots of research and documentaries on how those guys risked way too much. Self destruction being a category all unto itself.

[rudi32]

yea surprised by age of them, very young. a lot of violent deaths too

[TeeBengal]

[quote]G PETE PERREAULT (1969), Boston U. — Died Dec. 8, 2001 (age 62)[/quote]

His Daughter is my neice (by marriage).

RIP Pete.......

[The Scales]

Nice Uplifiting article thanks CHICK!!!

[VonBlade]

Apart from ripping the morbid nature of the document, let's take a look at some facts.

53 players per season x 41 seasons = 2173* players.
2173 total / 28 players deceased = 1.2% deaths in that timespan.

Not exactly a gobsmacking trend of early deaths. Given that 3 million Americans die each year, which is about a percent, it's only average.

*Some obviously were around for longer than a season, but it balances the off-season cutdowns, which I'm sure Chick included.

Of course, that doesn't take away from the sadness of losing our Bengal Brothers.
VB

[MULLY]

Wow, I never heard that Billups died. That's kind of fucked up because just the other day I was wondering whatever happened with him. Did he retire a Bengal? Did he move to another team? Bummer.
MULLY

[esjbh2]

[quote name='Fulcher_33' post='704853' date='Sep 24 2008, 07:50 PM']Wow, I never heard that Billups died. That's kind of fucked up because just the other day I was wondering whatever happened with him. Did he retire a Bengal? Did he move to another team? Bummer.
MULLY[/quote]
Yeah, that one caught my attention as well. I know he played a season or two in GreenBay after leaving the Bengals.

I was also actually a bit surprised that there were not more players deceased, but I guess with the Bengals franchise being somewhat "young" itself it makes sense.

[MULLY]

[quote name='ArmyBengal' post='704686' date='Sep 24 2008, 10:32 PM']It'll be interesting to see the "cause of death" for the steroids era NLF players. I bet there will be lots of research and documentaries on how those guys risked way too much. Self destruction being a category all unto itself.[/quote]


Well, I would say those 40's and 50's guys dropping over from heart failure and various cancers are probably a good start. Granted, there are a lot of men that die of heart failure in their 50's but that many people from the same team? Seems a bit high to me.
MULLY

[|Montana Bengal|]

No Willie Anderson? (He is dead to me)...okay that is in bad taste, but I couldn't resist. Depressing thread.

[ickeyshuffler]

[quote name='Fulcher_33' post='704853' date='Sep 24 2008, 07:50 PM']Wow, I never heard that Billups died. That's kind of fucked up because just the other day I was wondering whatever happened with him. Did he retire a Bengal? Did he move to another team? Bummer.
MULLY[/quote]


not sure if he played anywhere else, but he went nuts. He threatend to kill the sister of rex chapman(former uk and charlotte hornets player). Threatened someone at a stoplight with a gun. A lot of people close to him think his death was not a accident.

[-GoBengals-]

[quote name='Montana Bengal' post='704877' date='Sep 24 2008, 10:18 PM']No Willie Anderson? (He is dead to me)...okay that is in bad taste, but I couldn't resist. Depressing thread.[/quote]

ha

i also dislike said former player. i dont think douchebaggery is fatal.

[BengalBacker]

[quote name='whodey24k' post='704904' date='Sep 25 2008, 12:25 AM']not sure if he played anywhere else, but he went nuts. He threatend to kill the sister of rex chapman(former uk and charlotte hornets player). Threatened someone at a stoplight with a gun. A lot of people close to him think his death was not a accident.[/quote]

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Billups"]yup[/url]

[|High School Harry|]

[quote name='Fulcher_33' post='704853' date='Sep 24 2008, 06:50 PM']Wow, I never heard that Billups died. That's kind of fucked up because just the other day I was wondering whatever happened with him. Did he retire a Bengal? Did he move to another team? Bummer.
MULLY[/quote]
He drove a car (Corvette, as I recall but could be wrong) at 100+ mph into a bridge/overpass abutment someplace in Texas.
late at night.
I believe alcohol was involved.
But do recall fer sure that it was a car over 100 mph into the abutment in TX.
Suicide by car?
Asleep at the wheel?
Who knows?