Like in the Concussion movie, he had spent years battling depression, dementia, amnesia, and severe back pain. Later, he was treated for depression and symptoms of congestive heart failure. Witnessing most of Websters story was his son, Garrett. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. 10% of all contact sport athletes sustain concussions yearly. Our piece addressed the role that the thousands of concussions Webster sustained during his football career affected his brain and contributed to his death in 2002 at age 50. Webster is also survived by two sons, Colin of Camp LeJeune, N.C., and Garrett; two daughters, Hillary and Brooke; two grandchildren; his father, William, of Harshaw, Wis.; two brothers, Reid and Joe Webster; and two sisters, Wendy and Jane Webster. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Try again later. Indirectly, football was his life, and it was what cost him his life. It's sad.''. Mike Webster works for the University of St Andrews. [4] [5], Mike Webster was regarded as the best center in the Big Ten during most of his career at the University of WisconsinMadison. ''I don't think it's anybody's business,'' he said of his problems. And responding to reports that he had lived in his car for 18 months, he told The St. Petersburg Times: ''From time to time, yes, I did sleep in my car and stay in my car. Two years ago, Webster's son Garrett moved from Wisconsin to live with him in Pittsburgh. [22], Nicknamed "Iron Mike", Webster's reputation for durability led him to play even through injuries. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. A lot of guys look back, and they love the game, says Harris. He stopped hanging out with the family as much. Pittsburgh Steeler center Mike Webster was the first NFL player Omalu autopsied. I had to make sure the slides were Mike Websters slides, Omalu told FRONTLINE. I wasn't broke. The son, at 6 feet 9 inches and 340 pounds, is a high school senior and an offensive lineman on his football team. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. But Webster refused his panicked sons entreaties to go to a hospital, in part because he didnt have insurance. That stuff gets passed on through the grapevine. And yes, I slept in a train station one time. Learn more about managing a memorial . When People Show Who They Are, Believe Them. But Harris thinks about the risks that Mikes son will face. So Webster launched a single-minded coaching clinic. Pittsburgh Steeler center Mike Webster was the first NFL player Omalu autopsied. DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed on this site are the result of research and analysis done by Advocacy for Fairness in Sports. See our ethics statement. '', Chuck Noll, his Steelers coach, said, ''He was very smart, a great technician.''. I looked again. A forensic pathologist, Omalu conducted the autopsy of Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster, which led to his discovery of a new disease that he named chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. He was often reclusive. The latest mock draft from ESPNs Mel Kiper Jr. has the Steelers keeping it "all in the family". ''There will be some mornings he can't get up from the couch because he feels so terrible.''. Effects of concussion are cumulative in athletes who return to play prior to complete recovery. Please enter your email and password to sign in. League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis, Aaron Hernandez Found To Have Had "Severe" Case of CTE, NFL Acknowledges a Link Between Football, CTE, What the NFL's New Concussion Numbers Don't Answer, From the Archives: How the World's Deadliest Ebola Outbreak Unfolded, Russias Invasion of Ukraine, One Year Later, War Crimes Watch Ukraine: More Than 650 Documented Events, From the Archives: How the U.N. & World Failed Darfur Amid "the 21st Century's First Genocide". They eventually cost him his marriage. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Mike Webster (8945061)? [dropcap]A[/dropcap]t the Pittsburgh Steelers executive offices, overlooking the manicured field where the pro football team practices, Mike Websters sweetly smiling photo stands out on a wall decorated with glowering tough-guy shots of the teams other famous players. '', ''It doesn't get better,'' Krieg added. Mike would call at 2 a.m. and say hes lost. Webster saw a slew of doctors during this period in the mid-90s, including one who told him he appeared to be brain-damaged. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, class of 1997. He was responsible and did things the right way. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Omalu's findings were largely ignored by the NFL until Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was diagnosed with CTE shortly after his death in 2009. Mike Webster died of a heart attack at age 50 on September 24, 2002, at a Pittsburgh hospital. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Michael Lewis Webster (March 18, 1952 September 24, 2002) was an American football player who played center in the National Football League from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. In its March 2003 issue, Reader's Digest wrote about Webster's shattered life. [citation needed], Webster became a free agent following the 1988 season. High school athletes who sustain a concussion are three times more likely to sustain a second concussion. Prosecutors just showed an image of Michael Jackson 's dead, naked body sprawled on a gurney -- taken hours after the singer died. We all worked hard, but none as hard as Mike did. Colin remembers that his father was shaking so much from his condition that his desperate solution was to buy a police Taser gun. Michael Lewis "Mike" Webster was an American football player who played as a center in the National Football League from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Ste. There is no photo or video of Michael Allen Webster. During that time, none of us thought he had this revolutionary condition that was going to change the world. He woke up Sunday morning, his lips were purple, he was sheet white, says Garrett. [12] With the addition of interest and fees, that amount was estimated to exceed $1.60 million. [1], Webster died in 2002 at the age of 50 of a heart attack, and subsequently was the first former NFL player diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). One of the things that hurt him the most is we were pretty much ignored, not just by the NFL, by the Steelers too, Webster commented. Dad was never a part of those, even when he was alive. I remember them saying that we were not part of it and there was this cutoff date which really only cut out us and two or three other families. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Mike Webster, whose Hall of Fame pro football career was followed by more than a decade of physical and psychological turmoil apparently brought on by repeated blows to the head on the field, died yesterday in a Pittsburgh hospital. You know, if your dad is important enough to get a limo ride to the Steelers game in Pittsburgh, he must be the mayor or something like that., I remember Kansas city a little better and the change to a large extent of how dad acted, Webster continued. Football had taken a punishing toll on his body. [2] Webster played during an era when protective equipment (especially helmets) was inferior, and head injuries were simply considered part of the game. Failed to delete memorial. I saw changes that shouldnt be in a 50-year-old mans brains, and also changes that shouldnt be in a brain that looked normal.. Webster grew up on a 640-acre potato farm near Harshaw, Wisconsin. Michael L. Webster was born March 18, 1952, in Tomahawk, Wis., and was reared on a 640-acre potato farm. [10] Webster was posthumously elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. Players worry about ending their career, she says. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Michael Lewis Webster (March 18, 1952 September 24, 2002) was an American professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. Associated Press. Gary Pomerantz's book "Their Life's Work" details Webster's playing days as well as his final ones, highlighting how Dan Rooney appealed on Webster's behalf for disability benefits - something the league did not immediately grant him. To use this feature, use a newer browser. A man who, despite his anger at his own fate, was nonetheless trying at the end of his life to teach his beloved sport to a football-crazy son. Contrary to rumors, Webster never admitted to using anabolic steroids during his career, even though they were legal at the time. I think my dad to a large extent was so hurt by leaving the Steelers. And the beating left its own legacy. Michael Allen Webster. He tried to stay low-key, says Moon Area High Schools football coach Mark Capuano. It was in that spirit that Dr. Omalu, then a junior pathologist at the Allegheny County medical examiner's office in Pittsburgh, began an autopsy on a Saturday morning in September 2002. '', At the time, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Webster was ''homeless, unemployed, deep in debt, beset with medical ailments, lacking health insurance, in the midst of divorce, in the care of a psychiatrist and on medication, and involved in a complex lawsuit over real estate investments.''. There was an error deleting this problem. In private, the message seemed different. cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Other players who retired because of the effects of concussion or other head injuries include Johnny Unitas, Roger Staubach, Merril Hoge, Troy Aikman, Steve Young, Dave Pear, Wayne Chrebet, and Al Toon. Elected to football Hall of Fame in 1997, his. Literary and Cultural Heritage Map of PA. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Late Steelers great Webster's case launched the CTE brain debate, "The Life And Career Of Mike Webster (Story)", "Before 'Concussion': An Inside Glimpse of NFL Player Mike Webster's Utterly Tragic Final Days", Reflections in Iron: Mike Websters Training Methods, People: Pro Football; Webster Retires https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/12/sports/sports-people-pro-football-webster-retires.htmlhttps://www.profootballhistory.com/mike-webster/Sports People: Pro Football; Webster Retires, "Ben Roethlisberger breaks Mike Webster's record for most games played with Steelers", Mike Webster, 50, Dies; Troubled Football Hall of Famer, Mike Webster autopsy 'one of the most significant moments in the history of sports', "Researchers: Late NFL player had degenerative brain condition - ESPN", "Game Brain: Football Players and Concussions", "Former Steeler's Family Wins Disability Ruling", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mike_Webster&oldid=1142356025, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 23:35. As a Steeler, he played in nine Pro Bowl games and 245 N.F.L. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs, who initially made him an offensive line coach before allowing him to return as the starting center. He preferred it if people didnt recognize him., The last year of Websters life brought new woes: His divorce became final, his health worsened and his finances collapsed again. An athlete who sustains concussion is 4-6 times more likely to sustain a second concussion. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? You have to measure by what you started out with, by what you overcome. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. He propped up the head and. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. These 2 Surprising Traits May Predict ALS, New Research Says, Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The weekend of the funeral, Harris went to see Garrett Webster play football and was impressed by the teenagers potential. His toughness made him a winner: He was voted onto the All-Pro team six straight years, won four Super Bowl rings, and joined the greatest players ever in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. '' Krieg added live with him in Pittsburgh lips were purple, he had this revolutionary condition his..., class of 1997 his body sheet white, says Garrett this period in family., and it was what cost him his life to a hospital in..., Wis., and they love the game, says Garrett and 245.! 10 % of all contact sport athletes sustain concussions yearly, Webster never to! Terrible. '' spent years battling depression, dementia, amnesia, and it was cost. He said of his problems smart, a great technician. '' [ citation needed ], Nicknamed Iron... 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