2024 has been a whirlwind of a year, with football fans all over the world mourning the loss of their beloved players who lost their lives this year. These American football players have played several games and outshone their co-players, showing the world how football is really played. Now that they are no more, there is a void that cannot be filled easily. So, let’s pay tribute to the 20 American football players who died in 2024.
Jack Squirek
Jack Steve Squirek is one of the 20 American football players died in 2024. He passed away on January 5, 2024, at 64 and is survived by his wife and two kids.
Squirek was a phenomenal linebacker who played for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1982 to 1986 before being traded to the Miami Dolphins. He even won the Super Bowl XVIII when he was a part of the Raiders team.
Norm Snead
Born on July 31, 1939, Norm Snead died on January 14, 2024, at the age of 84. He was a quarterback for the NFL and joined the league during the 1961 NFL draft. He was chosen by the Redskins and, after a few seasons, was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a part of the Eagles for seven seasons and experienced several highs and lows of his career while playing for the team. Throughout his professional career, he also played for the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and the Francisco 49ers. He finally retired from playing football in 1977, with his last game being for the New York Giants.
Tony Hutson
Tony Hutson died on February 3, 2024, at 48. His cause of death has not been shared.
Hutson began his career in the NFL by playing for the Dallas Cowboys. He was signed by the professional team as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He played as a guard for the team until 2000. Then, he got signed with the Washington Redskins as a free agent and replaced Tre’ Johnson. Tony Hutson’s contract with the team was not renewed for another season. In 2001, he joined the Oakland Raiders but was let go before the season even began due to a triceps injury.
Rod Sherman
The former Raiders player, Rod Sherman, passed away on February 6, 2024. In 2018, owing to his achievements in football, he was honoured with induction into USC’s Hall of Fame.
Sherman joined the Oakland Raiders in 1967 and then moved to the Cincinnati Bengals for a year in 1968. He returned to the Oakland Raiders in 1969 and continued to play for them until 1971, after which he joined the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams for one season each.
Golden Richards
Golden Richards passed away on February 23, 2024, from congestive heart failure. He was 73. The former NFL player was also suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
Richards played as a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys as well as the Chicago Bears during his career in the NFL. He was chosen by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1973 NFL draft. He became a part of the Chicago Bears in 1978 but could not play many games for the team due to his knee injury. He later signed with the Denver Broncos in 1980 but suffered another injury which put him on the injury reserve list. He could not play any further games and soon retired.
Andy Russell
Charles Andres Russell passed away on March 1, 2024, and was a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers throughout his career in the NFL. He signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1963 but left the team after his rookie season to join the Army. He was stationed in Germany, and after returning, he rejoined the Steelers in 1966 and played for them throughout his career, retiring in 1976. Throughout his 12-year career in the NFL, he won two Super Bowls, Super Bowl IX and Super Bowl XI. He was also inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall Of Fame in 1976 and then the Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993.
Jimmie Browner Jr.
Jimmie L. Browner Jr. is one of the 20 American professional football players died in 2024. He passed away on March 6 2024 at the age of 68.
Jim Browner belongs to a family of professional football players. He started off by playing for the Warren Western Reserve before moving on to college football at Notre Dame. He then started playing in the big league, the NFL, as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1979. He played for the Bengals for two seasons and 18 games.
Ernie Clark
Ernie Clark passed away on March 10, 2024. He was 86.
Ernie was a professional linebacker for the Detroit Lions and played for the team in the NFL for five seasons. He then joined the St. Louis Cardinals for one season.
O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson, better known as “The Juice” was a professional American football player who played in the NFL for 11 seasons. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills and played for them from 1969 to 1977. He then became a part of the San Francisco 49ers from 1978, retiring in 1979. He passed away on April 10, 2024 due to prostrate cancer.
Bob Bruggers
Robert Eugene “Bob” Bruggers is one of the 20 American football players died in 2024. Bob passed away on May 10, 2024 due to a terminal illness. He was 80.
During his early years, Bob played both basketball and football but made football his main focus in college. He eventually got signed with the Miami Dolphins as a free agent, starting off his professional football career with a bang. He later moved on to play for the San Diego Chargers and was eventually traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, but his football career took a heartbreaking turn when a severe elbow injury cut it short.
Looking for a new career path, Shaw took advice from his former Dolphins roommate, Wahoo McDaniel, and stepped into the world of professional wrestling. He really threw himself into it, training hard and rebranding himself as Baby Face Bruggers, with his signature move being a football-style tackle. Bob made quite a name for himself in the wrestling world, competing in the AWA, NWA, and MAW in the U.S., and gaining even more fame in Japan with the IWE. Unfortunately, his wrestling career was also cut short after a devastating plane crash, leaving him with injuries that ended his time in the ring.
Frank Ryan
Frank Beall Ryan is an exceptional football player who we lost in 2024 due to complications of Alzheimer’s disease. He was 87. The former quarterback played for the Los Angeles Rams, Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins.
Vontae Davis
Former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis was found dead at his home at the age of 35 in April 2024. Davis was found dead by one of his employees, who immediately contacted the police. The police department then released a statement saying that no foul play was involved.
Vontae was a part of the NFL for 10 years. He started his professional American football career by playing for the Miami Dolphins in 2009 till 2011. He joined the Indianapolis Colts for the 2012 season and continued to be a part of the team for the next five years. The professional player retired in 2018 when he was a part of the Buffalo Bills. His retirement was a shock to many as it came out of the blue during a game with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Larry Allen
One of the greatest offensive lineman to ever exist in the NFL, Larry Allen, is one of the 20 American footballers died in 2024. Larry was 52 at the time of his death and is survived by his wife and three kids. The former NFL player passed away in Mexico while he was on vacation with his family in June 2024. The news was confirmed by the Cowboys.
Larry Allen had a 14-year career in the NFL out of which he spent 12 of these years with the Cowboys. He was drafted by the Cowboys in 1994 and was a part of the team at a time when it had members such as Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders and Emmitt Smith. He then joined the San Francisco 49ers for two seasons before finally retiring from his professional career in 2008. He was honoured for his feats in 2013 when he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Khyree Jackson
Khyree Jackson had an extremely short career in the NFL as he was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in April 2024 and passed away in a car crash in July 2024 at the young age of 24. He was involved in a car crash. His death came as a shock to many, with his Vikings coach, Kevin O’Connell, releasing a statement saying, “I am absolutely crushed by this news. Khyree brought a contagious energy to our facility and our team. His confidence and engaging personality immediately drew his teammates to him.” He further said, “I am at a loss for words. My heart goes out to Khyree’s family, friends, teammates and coaches.”
Jacoby Jones
The Super Bowl champion, Jacoby Jones, is another former NFL player who died in 2024 at 40. Jones passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in New Orleans on July 14, 2024, and no cause of death was shared at the time of his death. Later on, according to CBS News, the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office released that Jacoby Jones died from hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
Jacoby Jones was drafted by the Houston Texans in 2007. He later also played for the Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Tigers and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was a part of the NFL for nine seasons before retiring in 2015. However, he did make a comeback in 2017 by signing a one day contract with the Baltimore Ravens in order to retire as a part of the team.
Mike Stensrud
Former NFL player Mike Stensrud, known for his long career with the Houston Oilers, passed away unexpectedly on August 23, 2024, at the age of 68 due to a heart attack.
Stensrud played college football at Iowa State alongside his brother, Maynard Stensrud, before being selected by the Houston Oilers in the second round of the 1979 NFL Draft. He spent seven seasons with the Oilers and eventually had one-year stints with the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Washington Redskins. By the time he retired in 1989, Stensrud had recorded 29.5 career sacks over 139 NFL games. In 2000, he was honoured with an induction into the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame.
Mercury Morris
The winner of two Super Bowls (VII and VIII) and three-time Pro Bowl winner, Mercury Morris, passed away on September 21, 2024, in Florida. He was 77.
Morris initially began playing for the Miami Dolphins in the AFL. With each game, he showed what an extraordinary player he was and so, after the AFL and NFL merger, Morris helped the Dolphins win two back to back seasons in the years 1972 and 1973. He played for the Dolphins for two more seasons before joining the San Diego Chargers in 1976. This was the year he played his last season in the NFL.
Greg Landry
Greg Landry passed away at the age of 77 in 2024 . He was a phenomenal Detroit Lions quarterback and assistant coach who was inducted into the UMass Hall of Fame for his achievements on the field in 1980.
Greg was drafted by the Chicago Lions in 1968 and played for the team for 11 seasons. He was then traded to the Baltimore Colts and played for the team for 3 seasons in the NFL until 1981. He then tried his hand at the USFL and played two seasons, the first one with the Chicago Blitz in 1983 and the second one with the Arizona Wranglers in 1984. He then made a comeback to the NFL, playing one game representing the Chicago Bears. He later worked as a quarterbacks coach for the Chicago Lions.
Billy Shaw
Billy Shaw passed away on October 4, 2024, in Toccoa, Georgia, with his family by his side due to a blood condition known as hyponatremia. Shaw, who had an incredible career playing for the Buffalo Bills in the AFL from 1961 to 1969, leaves behind his wife, Patsy, and their three daughters.
Billy Shaw was an incredible player, and his career was nothing short of remarkable. He was a two-time AFL champion, winning titles in 1964 and 1965, and earned a first-team All-American Football League pick not once or twice but five times. What truly sets him apart is that he’s the only player ever to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame without playing in the NFL.
