# Has any athlete ever been paralyzed from an in-game injury? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2007, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500 "2007-05-10T02:47:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2007, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/21 "2007-05-10T16:33:07Z")
In the early 80’s I was at a football game between Long Beach State and UCLA. A Long Beach defensive player broke his neck in a freak accident and was totally paralyzed. The game was stopped for over an hour while they stabilized him and got him off of the field. Googling tells me that his name is Todd Hart and that they give out an award at Long Beach state, The Todd Hart Courage Award, every year to one of their athletes. I couldn’t find anything about his current condition. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/22 "2007-05-10T16:40:04Z")
The sad story that came to mind was of Chucky Mullins of Ole Miss – as is apparently not uncommon, his paralysis led to complications that ultimately proved fatal. > **[Chucky Mullins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chucky_Mullins)** > > Roy Lee "Chucky" Mullins (July 8, 1969 – May 6, 1991) was an American football player at Ole Miss (University of Mississippi) best known for the devastating football injury that left him a quadriplegic. > Chucky Mullins was injured on October 28, 1989, during the Ole Miss Rebels' Homecoming game against the Vanderbilt Commodores in Oxford, Mississippi. Mullins plunged head-first into a tackle of Vanderbilt fullback Brad Gaines after a short pass attempt. The impact shattered four vertebrae in Mull... ---
**Author:** ![DoperChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@DoperChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoperChic)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2007, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/23 "2007-05-10T16:55:46Z")
Not sure if the WWE fits exactly into the definition of a sport (the company bills itself as sprorts entertainment) but wrestler [Owen Hart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Hart#Death.2C_Controversy_and_Lawsuit) was actually killed during the lead-in to a match. > [@](#): > > On May 23, 1999 Hart fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri, during the Over the Edge 1999 pay-per-view event. He was 34 years old. Owen was in the process of being lowered into the ring from the rafters of Kemper Arena for a booked Intercontinental Championship match against The Godfather. In keeping with the Blazer’s new ‘buffoonish superhero’ character, Hart was to be lowered to just above ring level, at which time he would release himself from the safety harness and fall flat on his face for comedic effect. It was an elaboration on a Blue Blazer stunt done on the Sunday Night Heat before Survivor Series 1998 where the Blue Blazer had come down from the rafters but was attacked when he was unable to release himself from the harness [34] (that is how the stunt was supposed to go, not a malfunction). Owen had performed the stunt only a few times before, and was worried about performing the stunt at Kemper Arena due to the height involved (Owen had a fear of heights). Something went wrong with the stunt which triggered the early release mechanism. Owen fell 78 feet (24 m) into the ring, smashing his chest on a padded, but still unforgiving turnbuckle, throwing him into the ring. He died from his injuries (including a severed aorta that filled his lungs with blood) less than an hour later[35]. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/24 "2007-05-10T17:01:55Z")
And in boxing, Duk Koo Kim died after being knocked out by Ray Mancini. ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2007, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/25 "2007-05-10T17:30:34Z")
[Brad Hornung](http://www.nhl.com/futures/2002draft/hornung_071502.html) ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/26 "2007-05-10T17:51:24Z")
NHL player [Bill Masterton](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Masterton) died after being hit in an NHL game. Off topic, but similar, NFL player [Chuck Hughes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Hughes) had a heart attack and died during a game. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/27 "2007-05-10T18:01:38Z")
With reference to the injury mentioned in the OP, from last night’s basketball game, [QUOTE=Deseret Morning News] Reserve point guard Dee Brown was at the Jazz’s practice facility Thursday morning, but did not work out with the team. Brown will travel to Oakland with the club for Friday’s Game 3 of Utah’s Western Conference semifinal series with Golden State. His status for the game is doubtful, however. The rookie point guard was diagnosed with a sprained neck and will receive treatment with the team on the road. [/QUOTE] [From here](http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660219405,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/28 "2007-05-10T18:17:31Z")
A player from the local arena football team had a head on collision with a Daytona player that [resulted in the death](http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/football/pro/orl-bk-thunder02272007,0,4178394.story?coll=orl-home-headlines) of the Daytona player. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2007, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/29 "2007-05-10T23:39:28Z")
[QUOTE=DoperChic] Not sure if the WWE fits exactly into the definition of a sport (the company bills itself as sprorts entertainment) but wrestler [Owen Hart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Hart#Death.2C_Controversy_and_Lawsuit) was actually killed during the lead-in to a match. [/QUOTE] There’s also [Darren “Droz” Drozdov](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darren_Drozdov), left a quadraplegic after a botched wrestling move. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/30 "2007-05-11T00:01:53Z")
[QUOTE=Manduck] Also I guess Christopher Reeve counts - he was injured in a horse jumping competition. [/QUOTE] Yes, Christopher Reeve counts. It’s a sport, and he was competing. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/31 "2007-05-11T00:39:27Z")
[QUOTE=happywaffle] Used to be a lot worse; the NCAA was founded because of a tremendous number of injuries on college fields. In 1905 alone, 18 college football players _died_, even though there were only a fraction as many actually playing. [/QUOTE] Of course, back then they used formations that are banned today, such as the flying wedge. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/32 "2007-05-11T01:03:35Z")
There was one in my hometown. A high school lineman participated in a bad hit and was paralyzed from the waist down for life. He was my father’s age and sometimes came to our church and other events to speak. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/33 "2007-05-11T01:28:07Z")
Jill Kinmont, skier injured while trying out for the Olympics. I still remember crying during the TV movie in the 70’s. [Her website](http://www.jkbs.org/aboutjill.htm) ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/34 "2007-05-11T02:50:07Z")
Another gymnast - Julissa Gomez. She was paralyzed and suffered brain damage during vaulting warm-ups for a competition in 1988. That accident is a part of the reason that the shape of the vault changed a few years ago. > **[Julissa Gomez](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julissa_Gomez)** > > Julissa D'Anne Gomez (November 4, 1972 – August 8, 1991) was an American gymnast whose rapid rise through the ranks of elite gymnastics in the mid-1980s was cut short by a vaulting accident in 1988 that left her a quadriplegic. She eventually died from her injury. She was being coached by Al Fong, and had previously been coached by Bela Karolyi. > Her injury sparked major changes to the vaulting discipline of women's gymnastics with the goal of preventing such serious injuries. > Gomez was born in ... ---
**Author:** ![Capa84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8edcca/32.png) [@Capa84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capa84)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/35 "2007-05-11T02:57:43Z")
JT Townsend, who was a star on his HS football team here in Jacksonville, was paralyzed from the neck down making a tackle a few years ago. His story is pretty inspirational, as he has managed to enroll in college, and make several other strides when doctors were not even sure he would live [http://www.jttownsend.com/articles.htm](http://www.jttownsend.com/articles.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Woodhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/36 "2007-05-11T04:10:48Z")
I remember back in the mid nineties an Idaho State football player was paralyzed from a neck injury. I don’t remember his name, though. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/37 "2007-05-11T04:55:00Z")
[QUOTE=hajario] In the early 80’s I was at a football game between Long Beach State and UCLA. A Long Beach defensive player broke his neck in a freak accident and was totally paralyzed. The game was stopped for over an hour while they stabilized him and got him off of the field. Googling tells me that his name is Todd Hart and that they give out an award at Long Beach state, The Todd Hart Courage Award, every year to one of their athletes. I couldn’t find anything about his current condition. [/QUOTE] I was at the game too. Todd landed upside-down on his head and I remember the eerieness of watching him not move at all. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/38 "2007-05-11T07:48:06Z")
[QUOTE=Huerta88] Chucky Mullins of Ole Miss [/QUOTE] Thanks for posting that. Chucky was the first one in my mind, upon reading the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/39 "2007-05-11T10:58:05Z")
[QUOTE=si\_blakely] Rugby Union keeps mucking about with the scrum rules in an attempt to reduce spinal injuries - the most recent change being to the engagement (when the scrums come together). [/quote] Yes, the referee now forms them up an arm’s length apart and calls “Crouch - _Touch_ - Hold - Engage”. They’re still allowed to smack into each other from arm’s length but the extra step is to measure the distance. > [@](#): > > There actually seems to be a bit of a code among the front rowers - something that they use to signal difficulties. I read an interview with an Aussie rugby international who gave credit to his opposite number in the scrum during a scare - the Aussie strained his neck and trapped a nerve during a scrum (causing temporary paralysis and a **crack** in the neck), yelled something - and his All Black oppo stopped pushing, yelled to stop the scrum, and held the guy in position till the collar was on. All was well in the end, but scrums can be rough. > > And I seem to recall a Namibian player breaking his neck at a Rugby World Cup match - I guess in 1999. > > Si Yes, the unwritten Code of the Front Row states that if anyone yells “Neck!” the shoving stops instantly.\* The official laws also state that if (owing to injury replacement, or whatever) there aren’t enough qualified front-rowers to make up the necessary three per side, all scrums are to be uncontested - they form up as normal, but there is no pushing, and the side putting the ball in automatically gets the possession. In lower grades of the game referees have been known to call for uncontested scrums when in their opinion one side is so outclassed that injury becomes likely. (\* It’s like the “Man down” code in footie where whichever side has the ball will put it into touch if someone is injured and needs attention, and the other side, when throwing it in again, will return it to the side that previously had possession. Typically this will be a long throw into the opposing half, but with no-one chasing it, so the other side get a free go although deep in their own territory.) ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500/40 "2007-05-11T13:30:39Z")
Matt Millen, the Detroit Lions GM, is paralyzed from the neck up,caused by banging his head on the table. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-athlete-ever-been-paralyzed-from-an-in-game-injury/403500.md?page=3)