Ex-Bears Safety Duerson Dead at 50

[Ian]

Man this is sad ... I'm a die-hard Eagles fan, but that '85 Bears team is my favorite non-Eagles team of all time. The Buddy connection definitely has something to do with it, but they just had so many great players and Walter Payton is my favorite of all time. Duerson was unbelieveable... RIP ...

CHICAGO (AP) -- Dave Duerson, a four-time Pro Bowl safety who played on Super Bowl winners with the Chicago Bears and New York Giants, has died. He was 50.

The Bears released a statement Friday saying they were "stunned and saddened" by the news and called Duerson "a great contributor to our team and the Chicago community."

"Today is a difficult day for all of us who loved Dave," the team said. "We'll miss him. Our prayers are with his family."

Miami-Dade Police Detective Robert Williams says the body of a Dave Duerson was found Thursday in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla. Computer records show that the Duerson who lived at the address was born the same month and year as the player.

Investigators have not determined the cause of death. Williams says detectives are awaiting the medical examiner's report.

Duerson's ex-wife, Alicia Duerson, told NBC Chicago that he "loved and cherished his family" and was "extremely proud" of Notre Dame and the Bears.

A native of Muncie, Indiana, Duerson was a third-round draft pick by the Bears in 1983 out of Notre Dame and became a key figure on one of the greatest defenses ever assembled.

Who can forget the 1985 team mauling opponents while shuffling all the way to the championship with Hall of Famers such as Mike Singletary, Dan Hampton and Richard Dent up front? With Todd Bell sitting out the entire season, Duerson played a big role in the backfield with five interceptions that year and made the first of four straight Pro Bowls.

"He was a great player for us," coach Mike Ditka told the Associated Press. "He stepped in and did a great job. It's very sad."

A year later, he picked off a career-high six passes while setting what was an NFL record for sacks by a defensive back with seven. That mark stood until 2005, when Arizona's Adrian Wilson had eight.

Duerson would go on to win another Super Bowl with the 1990 Giants after being released by the Bears and spent three years with Arizona before retiring after 11 seasons.

Emery Moorehead, a tight end on the '85 team, said: "He was a man's man. Smoked cigars. Just a personable guy. ... He had a lot of people that loved him everywhere."

"Our hearts go out to the Duerson family and to all those who knew Dave," Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said in a statement. "In addition to being a great football player, Dave represented himself and the University in so many other ways as a team captain, as well as through his work with the Monogram Club and the Board of Trustees. You couldn't help but be impressed by him when you met Dave Duerson, and I think that was the reaction from anyone who was ever around him."

Ray Ellis, the sports channel director at Voice America Sports, where Duerson had a weekly radio show streamed live over the Internet, said he tried reaching Duerson on Thursday when he didn't host his regular program.

Friday morning, a friend informed Ellis of Duerson's death.

"If you looked at him visually, Dave Duerson looked like he could play strong safety today," Ellis said.

He added that Duerson recently told him he'd gotten engaged and planned to marry in late spring or early summer.

Ellis said Duerson's show wasn't typical sports talk. He talked about a range of subjects and liked to highlight athletes' accomplishments and good work off the field.

"There was so much more to Dave than being a former Chicago Bear," Ellis said. "Dave took pride in his accomplishments off the field."

Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[In my dreams]

It's an incredibly sad story. As gruesome as it may sound, I hope someone is able to honor his wish (brain donation) and possibly gather some valuable information to help our future football players from young to old.

[Hammer]

His family is honoring his wish...from an article on ESPN.com:

Duerson's family has agreed to donate his brain to Boston University's medical school for its study of the degenerative disease, which has been tied to depression, dementia and occasionally suicide in the former players, according to the report.

"This is a tragic event," Dr. Robert Stern, a co-director of the research group, told The Times. "His wish will hopefully lead to additional scientific answers about this disease."

The Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy is a collaborative venture between BU Medical School and the Sports Legacy Institute that's addressing what it calls the "concussion crisis" in sports.

The group has been at the forefront of research into head trauma in sports and received a $1 million gift from the NFL, which it has pushed for better treatment of concussions.

According to the center's website, use of the Brain Bank includes research into "the cause, progression, and characteristics" of the disease.

The article goes on to talk of how he was at one time one of the union representatives who had to decide about medical claims submitted by former players. We will never know, but I think when he started to experience the symptoms for the conditions he denied claims for, the guilt got to him. The thing is, the former players should be provided enough funds so that that they don't have to pick and choose who to treat. The amount of money that the NFL union provides to the well being of the former players (prior to the formation of the union) is no where near what it should be. There are a lot of things wrong with MLB Players' union, but they make sure that the fund to care for the older players pre-union is well funded. You don't hear of MLB players going broke or dying penniless due to health issues and costs.