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From where Gary Dunn sits — at mile marker 84, on the back patio of his hotel bar, facing the sun-kissed waters of the gulf — he counts the funerals.
"Webby's was the first one I went to," he says of his former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate, Mike Webster, the Hall of Fame center.
21 ex-Steelers under 60 have died since 1996, including David Woodley -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/sfl-flsphyde25sbjan25,0,2796656.column - broken link)
The steroid abuse that was rampant in the Steeler organization in the 1970's is believed to be one of the main causes. Other teams have had players suffer the same issues from steroid abuse (Lyle Alzado), but yeah, the ex-Steelers have seemed to suffer from a plague.
Interesting, football players in general are not long lived due to the physichal beating their bodies take. I am sure that takes a toll later in life. How did they take care of themselves after they played?
I think the jury is still out on Lyle Alzado. I read his own doctor thought the tumor had nothing to do with steroids. Maybe he was drinking aspartame everyday...who really knows?
I think local hero Ray Mansfield was one of these. Just down the hill from me is a sports bar with a huge mural of the guy, in Steeler uniform, painted on the back.
Every time I think of some of the great Steeler players, I think of Mike Webster. He was interviewed once on ABC Monday Night Football by Al Michaels and Dan Dierdorf I remember how his mind was just wandering during the whole interview. When a question was put to him his answers were like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. It was sad because he was the ultimate warrior on the offensive line.
I was, and still am critical of the treatment of NFL players of that time era and before and one of my blogs on City Data addresses that issue. Mike Webster is right at the top of the list of players I thought of as I penned that blog. It had been documented that after his retirement from the league that he spent a short time living in his truck in his camper. He is another of a long list of players who died too young. In his case it was not so much steroids but concussions.
The offensive line players are the most vulnerable as they hit, and get hit, on every play. If one had a way of really delving into the issue of the NFL players who have been denied claims as a result from their disabilities from playing the game, I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that you will find that one third comes from the offensive line.
Just my two cents.
Last edited by DOUBLE H; 01-26-2009 at 09:12 PM..
Reason: spelling
Every time I think of some of the great Steeler players, I think of Mike Webster. He was interviewed once on ABC Monday Night Football by Al Michaels and Dan Dierdorf I remember how his mind was just wandering during the whole interview. When a question was put to him his answers were like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. It was sad because he was the ultimate warrior on the offensive line.
I was, and still am critical of the treatment of NFL players of that time era and before and one of my blogs on City Data addresses that issue. Mike Webster is right at the top of the list of players I thought of as I penned that blog. It had been documented that after his retirement from the league that he spent a short time living in his truck in his camper. He is another of a long list of players who died too young. In his case it was not so much steroids but concussions.
The offensive line players are the most vulnerable as they hit, and get hit, on every play. If one had a way of really delving into the issue of the NFL players who have been denied claims as a result from their disabilities from playing the game, I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that you will find that one third comes from the offensive line.
Just my two cents.
Mike Webster was a warrior. Damn shame that the game took his life way too early. I hope the guys in the NFL now do things to ensure that their health and well-being will be taken care of long after they retire.
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