DETROIT, Oct. 24—Charles F. (Chuck) Hughes of the De troit Lions collapsed today in the closing seconds of a Na tional Football League game and died.
Hughes, a 28‐year‐old wide receiver (offensive end), had caught a pass with less than two minutes remaining in the game against the Chicago Bears. He collapsed three plays later after trotting back to the huddle. The pass reception had been his first of the season.
Hughes is believed to be the first professional football player to collapse during a game and die without regaining conscious ness. His death was the sixth to occur in professional foot ball from a game‐related ail ment or injury.
Dick Butkus, Chicago line backer, was the first to reach him and called for the Lions’ doctors from the sidelines.
Dr. Richard Thompson and Dr. Edwin Guise ruhed to Hughes as he lay motionless. Dr. Guise administered mouth to‐mouth resuscitation and Dr. Thompson gave external heart massage, before Hughes was placed on a stretcher.
The stunning development sent Lions’ players from the team dressing room in tears. Some muttered, “He’s dead, he’s dead.” At Henry Ford Hos pital, where he was taken, Hughes was pronounced dead at 4:41 P. M.
Dr. Thompson said it was likely Hughes died of a rup tured major vessel of either the aorta, the heart, or the brain. The aorta is a large artery that carries blood from the heart for distribution to virtually all parts of the body.
“I just talked to the hospital and they just pronounced him dead,” Dr. Thompson said out side the Detroit dressing room. “We thought we had him when we got it [his heart] going again, but …” and then he was unable to continue.
Dr. Thompson said an au topsy would be performed to morrow.
Hughes, the backup man to Larry Walton, entered the game in the fourth quarter with about 10 minutes to play after Wal ton had suffered an injury.
Following his catch there were three incomplete passes that didn’t involve Hughes.
“He came back into the hud dle and everyone said they didn’t notice anything different about him,” said Lyall Smith, the Lions’ publicity director.
“So they called the next play” he added.
It was the final huddle for Hughes, one of 13 children, who was born in Philadelphia on March 23, 1943. He was the father of a 23‐month‐old son.
Hughes’s wife, Sharon, was among the first arrivals at the hospital and members of the Lions’ team began arriving shortly thereafter.
Dr. Guise said a team of doc tors had tried to revive Hughes at the hospital. “I’ve never seen anything like it in profes sional football,” said Dr. Guise.
The last pro football death was that of Mack Lee Hill, Kansas City Chiefs’ fullback,
Hill had suffered torn knee ligaments in a game against Buffalo. He underwent an oper ation two days later and died of what a club spokesman de scribed as “a sudden and mas sive embolism after surgery.”
Other pro football fatalities have been Dave Sparks of the Washington Redskins in 1964; Stan Mauldin of the now de funct Chicago Cardinals in 1948; Howard Glenn, a guard for the New York Titans (who later be came the Jets), in 1960, Stone Johnson, a runback specialist for the Kansas City Chiefs, who died in a 1963 preseason game after suffering a broken neck.
Hughes was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles from Texas El Paso in 1967. He was used as a reserve for three years by the Eagles before the Lions ac quired him for a draft choice before the 1970 season.
Hughes saw limited action last year, catching a pro career high total of eight passes for 168 yards. One of his recep tions was the turning point in a victory over the Oakland Raid ers last Thanksgiving Day.
The 6‐foot, 180‐pound Hughes was a resident of Sheridan, Tex., where he worked in a bank during the off season. At Texas El‐Paso, he made the all Texas first team for two years and captained the club as a senior.
