As originally aired on the Rochester Press Box
There was nothing. Absolutely nothing unusual about the play. The football player in question was about to move on to the next one when he suddenly collapsed. Paramedics rushed onto the field. CPR was applied. An ambulance drove the player to the nearby hospital. Those remaining on the field were stunned silent. As was the crowd. Sound familiar?
His wife was in the stands, and she accompanied the ambulance to the Henry Ford Hospital three miles away. The game itself which would otherwise be forgotten, actually resumed. The Bears beat the Lions. It was October 24, 1971. Chuck Hughes, a five-year NFL veteran wide receiver and just 28 years old, died that day.
It was later learned that Hughes had an undetectable heart condition. Playing football may have contributed to the tragic event on the field at Tiger Stadium that day. It didn’t cause it. There was no one and nothing to blame. The Detroit team retired his number 85. But the Lions, being the Lions, decided to reissue it in 2005. Tragedy has a 34-year shelf life, I guess. Practice team member Tom Kennedy wears it now. I wonder if he knows.
So yes, this kind of thing has happened before. Maybe not in a stand-alone primetime game with millions watching on television and the like, but yes, it has happened before. And we are no more equipped to process it now than we were then. Or will be the next time it happens. Cuz it will.
In seeking a productive individual response to the events of the past week, I can only think of only one thing. Learn CPR. Learn some first aid. There are on-line courses. There is an American Heart Association Center on the Scottsville Rd. that will help train you. Be ready. Learn to be a hero in your everyday existence. Because you never know. You never see it coming. Positioning yourself to actually help is better than thoughts and prayers afterwards. A lot better.
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