NCAA and NAIA Football
| Player | Age | University | Position | Cause of death | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rodney Abercrombie | 23 | California University of Pennsylvania | defensive back | jumped out of second story window to escape assailant with a gun | 2003 |
| Keith Adams | 23 | Gettysburg College | jeep accident | 2002 | |
| Bill Allen | 18 | Central Missouri State College | died during practice | 1965 | |
| Don Anderson | Gustavus Adolphus College | killed in crash of team bus | 1938 | ||
| Chris Angeloff | 20 | University of Akron | tight end | during game against Marshall University | 1975 |
| Sal Aunese | 21 | University of Colorado | quarterback | stomach cancer | 1989 |
| Avery Atkins | 20 | University of Florida | cornerback | MDMA overdose | 2007 |
| Eraste Autin | 18 | University of Florida | fullback | heat stroke | 2001 |
| Marlin Barnes | 22 | University of Miami | linebacker | homicide | 1996 |
| Paul Becker | Cal Tech | center | died of skull fracture suffered in Cal Tech-La Verne College game | 1939 | |
| Todd Becker | 20 | University of Pittsburgh | linebacker | fell out of third story dormitory window | 1982 |
| Nick Bell | 20 | Mississippi State University | defensive end | brain cancer | 2010 |
| Vernon Belyea | Norwich University | died from injuries suffered in game vs. Holy Cross | 1913 | ||
| Heath Benedict | 24 | Newberry College | offensive tackle | enlarged heart | 2008 |
| Vince Bernardo | 17 | Shippensburg University | offensive lineman | died during drills | 2006 |
| Brook Berringer | 22 | University of Nebraska | quarterback | plane crash | 1996 |
| Kendall Berry | 22 | Florida International University | running back | homicide (stabbed) | 2010 |
| Preston Birdsong | 18 | Tennessee Tech | defensive back | overcome by heat | 2000 |
| Jackie Blanding | 26 | Albany State University | defensive lineman | collapsed while running off-campus | 2003 |
| Dave Bliss | 20 | College of San Mateo | head injury in game against Santa Monica City College | 1967 | |
| Thomas E. Bloom | 21 | Purdue University | fullback | car accident | 1963 |
| Michael Bochette | 20 | Cumberland University | murdered | 2002 | |
| Douglas Boe | 21 | Princeton | tailback | died from head injury suffered in a game 16 months earlier | 1968 |
| Austin Box | 22 | University of Oklahoma | linebacker | drug overdose | 2011 |
| Taylor Bradford | 21 | University of Memphis | defensive tackle | homicide | 2007 |
| Alan Buder | 18 | University of Pennsylvania | defensive tackle | blood infection after breaking leg in jv game against Harvard | 1964 |
| Eugene Byrne | Army | died of injuries suffered in game vs. Harvard | 1909 | ||
| Derringer Cade | 20 | Northeast Missouri State (now Truman State University) | died during game vs. Southwest Baptist University | 1990 | |
| Chris Campbell | 21 | University of Miami | linebacker | car accident | 2002 |
| Ed Christian | 20 | Auburn University | offensive lineman | homicide | 2012 |
| Chris Cooper | 21 | University of New Mexico | lineman | cardiac arrest during workout | 1990 |
| Teddy Craft | 22 | Georgia Southern University | wide receiver | motorcycle accident | 2009 |
| Carl Dahlbeck | Purdue University | died in locker room explosion | 1936 | ||
| Tony Danckert | 20 | Boston University | linebacker | reaction to anesthesia | 1976 |
| Mario Danelo | 21 | USC | kicker | walked off a cliff | 2007 |
| Devaughn Darling | 19 | Florida State University | linebacker | cardiac arrhythmia, possible sickle cell complications | 2001 |
| Joseph Delaney | Villanova | fullback | car accident | 1932 | |
| Ray Dennison | 26 | Fort Lewis A & M (now Fort Lewis College) | died during a game | 1955 | |
| Berndt Diettrich | Simon Fraser University | drowned as a result of heart failure | |||
| Trent DiGiuro | 20 | University of Kentucky | offensive guard | homicide | 1994 |
| Doug Dilk | 21 | University of Evansville | guard | car accident | 1981 |
| Keeley Dorsey | 19 | University of South Florida | running back | long QT syndrome | 2007 |
| Kwane Doster | 21 | Vanderbilt University | running back | homicide | 2004 |
| Aaron Douglas | 21 | University of Alabama | offensive tackle | found dead in a house in Fernandina Beach, Florida | 2011 |
| Todd Doxey | 19 | University of Oregon | defensive back | drowned | 2008 |
| Butch Duhe | 21 | Louisiana State University | quarterback | brain hemorrhage | 1970 |
| Tyrone Duplessis | 21 | Louisiana Tech | running back | undetermined causes | 2012 |
| Arthur Ehlers | University of Iowa | brain hemorrhage suffered in freshman vs. varsity game | 1933 | ||
| Chris Emerson | 19 | University of Kansas | fullback | pulmonary embolism | 1982 |
| Brandon Fails | 18 | Texas A&M | blood clot in leg | 2002 | |
| Cody Fanning | 20 | Doane College | fell out of a truck | 2012 | |
| Donald Foley | 19 | Navy | fullback | spinal cord injury during practice | 1961 |
| William Foster | 20 | Johnson C. Smith University | guard | internal injuries suffered when kicked in the stomach during practice | 1961 |
| Billy Gaines | 19 | University of Pittsburgh | fell through church ceiling | 2003 | |
| Tommy Gannon | Purdue University | died in locker room explosion | 1936 | ||
| Richard Giardi | 22 | Holy Cross University | accidental overdose of anesthesia | 1968 | |
| George Gipp | 25 | Notre Dame | strep throat infection and pneumonia | 1920 | |
| James Glenn | 19 | Texas A & M | place kicker | heart ailment before practice | 1991 |
| Cecil Gooding | University of Michigan | guard | typhoid | 1904 | |
| Vernon Grant | 22 | Oklahoma State University | car crash | 2005 | |
| Kenneth Gray | Oregon State University | tackle | traffic accident | 1981 | |
| Reggie Grob | 19 | Texas | guard | heat stroke during practice | 1962 |
| Michael Guliford | 19 | University of Florida | motorcycle accident | 2007 | |
| Patrick Gullahorn | 19 | Vanderbilt | offensive lineman | fell from sixth floor dorm window | 1997 |
| Jayson Gwinn | 20 | Ohio State | car accident | 1993 | |
| Brandon Hall | 19 | University of Minnesota | homicide (shooting) | 2002 | |
| Harold Hamm | Dartmouth College | fullback | hit by lightning while fishing | 1928 | |
| Eddie Hanna | 24 | Colorado A & M (now Colorado State University) | halfback | heart attack following game vs. Colorado College | 1949 |
| Edwin Hartman | 22 | Geneva College | quarterback | killed in car accident on day before his wedding | 1983 |
| Ron Hatchett | 21 | Doane College | tackle | ammonia gas leak from ruptured tank car | 1969 |
| Danroy “DJ’’ Henry Jr. | 20 | Pace University | wide receiver and defensive back | killed in police shooting | 2010 |
| Dibrell Hicks | Carson-Newman College | shot | 1927 | ||
| Brian Hiemer | 21 | University of Nebraska | suicide | 1985 | |
| Edwin Hill | New York University | halfback | accidentally shot himself during a prank | 1929 | |
| Wilson Holloway | University of Tulsa | defensive lineman | Hodgkins Lymphoma | 2011 | |
| Demetre Homer | 19 | Yale | guard | brain injury suffered in jv game | 1952 |
| Jasper Howard | 20 | University of Connecticut | homicide (stabbed) | 2009 | |
| Earl Hundley | Georgetown College | tackle | heart attack during practice | 1962 | |
| Kordero Hunter | 21 | Central State University | defensive back | shot | 2011 |
| James Hyde | 18 | Howard College | following practice | 1965 | |
| Jawan Jackson | 19 | Northern Illinois University | died during conditioning drills | 2002 | |
| JeKelcy Johnson | 20 | Alcorn State University | linebacker | shot | 2001 |
| Diondre Johnson | 19 | Missouri Southern State University | Tight End | car crash | 2011 |
| Renard Johnson | 21 | Missouri Southern State University | Running Back | car crash | 2009 |
| Marcus Jones | 18 | Samford University | heart ailment after practice | 1989 | |
| William Wayne Jones | 19 | Tennessee State University | Defensive Back | collapsed Wednesday during a non-contact practice | 2012 |
| Mike Karas | 23 | Geneva College | quarterback | car accident | 1958 |
| Mike Kelsey | SMU | center | heat prostration during practice | 1962 | |
| John Karkoska | 19 | Baylor | offensive lineman | died during pre-game warmups | 1990 |
| John Kaczmarski | 18 | Utica College | snowmobile accident | 2008 | |
| Kelly Kent | 21 | Abilene Christian University | running back | heart attack during intramural basketball game | 1979 |
| Kevin Keyes | 18 | Charleston Southern | running back | shot during a car-jacking | 1998 |
| Allen Kidder | 22 | USC | died from blood-poisoning suffered after being bitten in a fight | 1936 | |
| Anthony Lalum | 19 | University of Mary | car accident | 2003 | |
| Andrew Lang | University of Pennsylvania | broken neck during game vs. Mercersberg Academy | 1922 | ||
| Robert Lewin | 20 | Baltimore Medical College | tackle | heart attack in game vs. Navy | 1903 |
| Josh Linthicum | 19 | Wabash College | died during surgery | 2010 | |
| Nick Liotta | 22 | Villanova | guard | found hanging in dorm | 1951 |
| Dale Lloyd | 19 | Rice University | defensive back | died during workout | 2006 |
| Charles "Sonny" Lohr | 19 | University of Maryland | center | heat stroke | 1959 |
| Sean Matti | 22 | Purdue University | Running Back | drowned in lake | 2011 |
| Bobby McBride | Wilkes College | defensive back | cerebral hemorrhage in game against Kings Point | 1972 | |
| Alexander "Tennessee" McClelland | Bluffton University | Bone Cancer | 2011 | ||
| Michael McCrimmins | 19 | Missouri Southern State University | Defensive Back | car crash | 2011 |
| Keffer McGee | 22 | Mississippi State University | running back | drownned in swimming pool | 1997 |
| Jay McGillis | 21 | Boston College | linebacker | cancer | 1992 |
| Stan McGuire | Oregon State | lineman | hit by car while riding a toboggan | 1950 | |
| Ken Meenan | 26 | University of Illinois | running back | blood poisoning following motorcycle accident | 1934 |
| Naeshall D. Menard | 20 | Louisiana State University | Center | suicide | 1998 |
| Jarvis Midgett | 18 | University of Tampa | tackle | brain injury during workout drill | 1954 |
| Kyndle Mongeon | 20 | Colgate University | offensive tackle | stabbed | 1993 |
| Harold Moore | Union College | halfback | fractured skull in game vs. New York University | 1905 | |
| Stanley Moore | Michigan College of Mines (now Michigan Tech University) | shot | 1931 | ||
| Darris Morris | 21 | Catawba College | linebacker | shot | 2002 |
| Edward Morrissey | St. Ambrose College | died of blood poisoning caused by broken leg suffered in game | 1913 | ||
| Martin Morrow | 21 | Morgan Park Jr. College | cerebral hemorrhage | 1938 | |
| Chucky Mullins | 21 | University of Mississippi | complications from a spinal cord injury suffered in an on-field collision in 1989 | 1991 | |
| Rudolph Munk | West Virginia University | halfback | concussion from being kicked in the head during a game vs. Bethany College. The offending player was accused of murder. | 1910 | |
| Cornelius Murphy | Fordham University | brain injury suffered in game vs. Bucknell | 1931 | ||
| Ruben Narcisse | 19 | University of Wyoming | linebacker | truck accident | 2010 |
| Aaron O'Neal | 19 | University of Missouri | defensive back | viral meningitis | 2005 |
| Greg Page | 19 | University of Kentucky | defensive end | neck injury sustained in practice | 1967 |
| L.L. Paine | Cornell | internal injuries suffered in a scrimmage | 1910 | ||
| John Pappas | 20 | Boston University | guard | died from head injuries suffered in Boston University-Syracuse game | 1953 |
| Bryan Pata | 22 | University of Miami | homicide | 2006 | |
| Ladarious Phillips | 20 | Auburn University | fullback | homicide | 2012 |
| Kovensky Pierre | 18 | Bethune-Cookman | offensive lineman | car accident | 2004 |
| Alfred Pimm | Amherst College | halfback | died from spinal injuries incurred during practice | 1926 | |
| Cole Pittman | 21 | University of Texas | defensive tackle | car crash | 2001 |
| Ereck Plancher | 19 | University of Central Florida | athlete | heat stroke | 2008 |
| Greg Pratt | 20 | Auburn University | fullback | collapsed on practice field | 1983 |
| Gregory Pratt | 19 | Abilene Christian University | choked on vomit during practice | 1980 | |
| Ted Presley | University of Kentucky | shot while playing Russian roulette | 1993 | ||
| Bob Priester | University of Mississippi | defensive lineman | died while running laps | 1965 | |
| Charles Prior | Lehigh University | died from injuries suffered in game vs. West Virginia-Wesleyan | 1925 | ||
| Michael Rakov | 20 | Williams College | guard | car accident | 1955 |
| Francis "Buzz" Randall | 20 | Oregon State | center | leukemia | 1958 |
| Robert Reid | Centenary College of Louisiana | murdered | 1925 | ||
| Mike Reily | 21 | Williams College | center and middle linebacker | Hodgkin's disease | 1964 |
| Aaron Richardson | 18 | Bowling Green State University | died during practice | 2004 | |
| Joe Roth | 21 | University of California Berkeley | quarterback | melanoma | 1977 |
| Brandon Rouse | 20 | Clemson | defensive tackle | heart attack | 2000 |
| Rich Royster | 20 | Central Connecticut State University | defensive tackle | car accident | 2011 |
| Ja'Mine Rozzell | 18 | University of New Mexico | fullback | drowned in river | 1997 |
| John "Button" Salmon | 22 | University of Arizona | quarterback | car crash | 1926 |
| Wesley Salonen | 23 | Montana School of Mines | center | broken neck in game vs. Eastern Montana | 1951 |
| Daniel Schatz | 19 | University of Missouri | quarterback | car accident | 2010 |
| Allan Schafer | 17 | Wisconsin | quarterback | died due to injuries sustained in a game versus Iowa | 1944 |
| Garrett Schlichtemeier | 19 | Chadron State College | car accident | 2010 | |
| Steve Schoenecker | 18 | Platteville State University (now Wisconsin-Platteville) | heart attack at practice | 1969 | |
| Bryan Scott | Knox College | tackle | neck injury in game vs. St. Louis University | 1915 | |
| Stephen Seard | 20 | Johnson C. Smith University | seizure while visiting family during holidays | 2009 | |
| Jay Seiler | 19 | University of Wisconsin | defensive back | brain injury during practice | 1979 |
| Ron Settles | 21 | Cal State-Long Beach | running back | found hanging in jail cell | 1981 |
| Jeff Seymour | 20 | Tennessee | defensive back | cerebral aneurysm | 1994 |
| Zach Shaver | 18 | Tarleton State University | died from game injuries | 2010 | |
| Derek Sheely | 22 | Frostburg State University | fullback | brain injury from a helmet-to-helmet hit in practice | 2011 |
| Richard Brinsley Sheridan | Army | end | died while making tackle in Army-Yale game | 1931 | |
| Scott Sinclair | 19 | University of South Carolina | defensive end | collapsed in locker room during practice | 1979 |
| Matt Sklom | 18 | Ferris State University | linebacker | heart failure during drills | 2002 |
| Ja'Quayvin Smalls | 20 | Western Carolina University | defensive back | died during workout | 2009 |
| Shannon Smith | 20 | University of Hawaii | kicker | drowned | 1997 |
| Claude Smithey | 23 | University of Arkansas | tackle | brain injury during game against Texas A & M | 1966 |
| Brian Spruill | 17 | Bethany College | defensive back | accidentally walked through a window | 1984 |
| Dylan Steigers | 21 | Eastern Oregon University | safety | brain injury during scrimmage | 2010 |
| Freddie Steinmark | 22 | University of Texas | defensive back | osteosarcoma | 1971 |
| Artie Steinmetz | 19 | University of Kentucky | defensive tackle | vehicular homicide | 1998 |
| Rodney Stowers | 20 | Mississippi State University | nose guard | pulmonary hemorrhage after suffering a broken leg in a game | 1991 |
| Zach Swircyznski | 20 | Austin College | died during pickup game of basketball | 2009 | |
| Parnell Sylvio | 20 | University of Indiana | tailback | suffered a stroke during practice | 1987 |
| Dale Taylor | Southern University | linebacker | cardiomyopathy during drills | 1998 | |
| Jack Tandy | 21 | San Francisco State | tackle | died of broken neck during San Francisco State-Cal Poly game | 1940 |
| Bruce Tarver | Stanford University | lineman | car accident | 1933 | |
| Damon Terrell | 21 | University of Arizona | tight end | air bubble in heart created by removal of catheter | 1995 |
| Owen Thomas | 21 | University of Pennsylvania | defensive end | suicide | 2010 |
| Fred Thompson | 19 | Oregon State University | defensive tackle | cardiac arrhythmia | 2011 |
| William Tierney | 20 | Fordham | defensive back | cardiac arrest prior to game vs. Lafayette | 1996 |
| Gary Tinsley | 22 | University of Minnesota | linebacker | enlarged heart | 2012 |
| Jack Trice | 21 | Iowa State University | lung hemorrhage and internal bleeding due to injuries sustained in game against the University of Minnesota | 1923 | |
| Brian Truhn | 21 | Ithaca College | died on bench during game against Brockport State | 1968 | |
| Garrett Uekman | 19 | University of Arkansas | tight end | cardiac arrest | 2011 |
| McCollins Umeh | 18 | University of Arizona | enlarged heart | 2004 | |
| Daniel Van Etten | University of West Virginia | car accident | 1998 | ||
| Rinaldo Villardi | 18 | Clemson | killed in motorcycle crash | 1950 | |
| Joseph Villavisencio | 22 | Texas A&M | offensive lineman | car crash | 2011 |
| Robert Vorhies | 18 | Virginia Tech | running back | died following punishment drill | 1980 |
| Brian Wagner | Emporia State | beaten to death in a fight | 1999 | ||
| Scott Wehnes | 21 | Charleston Southern | defensive lineman | collapsed while going to practice | 1998 |
| Pat Wheeler | North Texas State College | broken neck during North Texas State-Texas Tech freshman game | 1961 | ||
| Rashidi Wheeler | 22 | Northwestern University | defensive back | heat stroke | 2001 |
| Ronnie White | University of Idaho | car accident | 1945 | ||
| Thomas White | 19 | SMU | heart attack during practice | 1966 | |
| John Wightman | 21 | Marietta College | broken neck in sophomore vs. freshman game | 1930 | |
| Chad Wiley | 20 | North Carolina A & T State University | heat stroke | 2008 | |
| Curtis Williams | 24 | University of Washington | complications from a spinal cord injury suffered in an on-field collision in 2000 | 2001 | |
| Hugh Martin Williams | 18 | Loyola | kicked in abdomen at practice | 1932 | |
| James Williams | 19 | Diablo Valley College | defensive back | seizure during drills | 2002 |
| Marcellis Williamson | 22 | Ohio University | defensive lineman | heart attack | 2011 |
| Earl Wilson | 24 | US Naval Academy | quarterback | neck injury sustained in a game against Villanova University in 1909 | 1910 |
| Hoot Wilson | Howard College | brain hemorrhage suffered in freshman vs. varsity game | 1933 | ||
| Ralph Wilson | Wabash College | halfback | injured in game | 1910 | |
| Theodore York | Yale | guard | died from pneumonia after breaking ribs in game vs. Army | 1912 | |
| John Zola | 20 | Lebanon Valley College | from blood clot on the brain suffered during Lebanon Valley College-Drexel Tech game | 1961 |
- Purdue: 14 members of football team were killed in railroad collision (1903)
- Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College: 5 football players were killed in a head-on highway crash (1966)
- Marshall University Thundering Herd football team: 37 members died in an airplane crash (1970)
- Wichita State University Shockers football team: most of the starting players and coaches died in an airplane crash (1970)
- Cal Poly Mustangs football team: 16 players and 6 others died in an airplane crash (1960)
- Southwestern Oklahoma State University: 4 football players were killed in a car accident (1996)
- TCU: Head coach Jim Pittman died after suffering a heart attack during a game on October 30, 1971
- LSU: head coach Bo Rein died in plane crash January 10, 1980 (named head coach November 30, 1979; did not coach in game at LSU)
Read more about this topic: List Of Sportspeople Who Died During Their Careers, American Football, College
Famous quotes containing the word football:
“You can’t be a Real Country unless you have A BEER and an airline—it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a BEER.”
—Frank Zappa (1940–1993)