Remembering the tragic day Detroit Lions’ Chuck Hughes died on the field 50 years ago
On a gloomy, damp afternoon 50 years ago Sunday, 54,418 excited football fans made their pilgrimage to Tiger Stadium to see if the Detroit Lions, sporting a four-game winning streak and tied for first place with Minnesota in the NFC Central Division, could defeat the “Monsters of the Midway” led by Chicago’s Dick Butkus.
Local radio listeners — the regional telecast was blacked out in Detroit — were glued to the play-by-play of Van Patrick and Bob Reynolds on WJR-AM (760).
With the Lions in a two-minute drill and trailing, 28-23, little-used Chuck Hughes, who entered the game in the fourth quarter replacing the injured Larry Walton, made a 32-yard catch from quarterback Greg Landry for a first down on the Bears’ 37-yard line.
However, by 3:30 p.m. Oct. 24, 1971, the game’s outcome seemed meaningless. The tragedy that occurred with a minute left to play would forever serve as a glaring reminder of life’s fragility.
It is believed Hughes is the only player from the who died while competing in a game.
Hughes, all 5 feet 11 and 185 pounds of him, made his first reception of the season, despite being hit by Bob Jeter and Garry Lyle.
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Who was Chuck Hughes?
Although a walk-on at Texas Western (later the University of Texas-El Paso),Hughes finished his college career with the second-most receiving yards and the third-highest number of receptions in NCAA history. He was the 1967 fourth-round draft choice of the Eagles and played sparingly in his three seasons with Philadelphia.
The reserve receiver was acquired ahead of the 1970 season, when he made a remarkable 42-yard catch that helped seal the victory over the Oakland Raiders in the Thanksgiving Day game.
“Chuck didn’t have great speed but he was a good player, a great guy and teammate, and he worked like hell at practice,” former Lions head coach and Hall of Famer Joe Schmidt said earlier this month. “He would follow me up and down the sidelines asking to get in the game but Chuck never complained.”
Added Landry:
“Chuck ran great routes and had great hands, but what we all remember most about him was the quality of the person and how well-liked he was by everyone,” Landry said recently. “He was always upbeat and never down and was someone you always wanted to associate with.”
