Has anyone died during an NFL game?

It's no secret that the NFL is among the most dangerous major sports leagues on the planet. The intensity, speed, and physical nature of football is prone to causing severe injuries to players. No matter how well-protected they are by safety equipment and changes to the rules, there is always the risk of serious injury.

Almost every week without fail, the NFL sees players succumb to fractures, muscle injuries, ligament tears, and concussions. This can sideline them for weeks, if not months, and injuries that require intensive medical treatment aren't uncommon.

During the 2005 NFL season, former Buffalo Bills star Kevin Everett suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down. In 2017, Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowler Ryan Shazier's head-first tackle left him a paraplegic. Fortunately, both players recovered after extensive treatment, but their careers ended in an instant.

But what about a fatal injury? While severe injuries are unfortunately a common sight, a player dying on the field is almost unheard of. So has any player died on the field in the NFL?

Former Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions wide receiver Charles Frederick Hughes, better known as Chuck Hughes, remains the only NFL player to die while playing.

Remembering Chuck Hughes, the only NFL player to die on the field

The Eagles drafted Hughes with the 99th overall pick in the 1967 NFL draft. He played 38 games in five seasons in the NFL and caught 15 passes for 262 yards. He played three seasons for the Eagles before joining the Lions in 1970.

Chuck Hughes' death: How it unfolded

In the fourth quarter of a game between the Lions and the Chicago Bears during the 1971 NFL season, the Lions were trying to come back from a 28-23 deficit. After a big play, the Lions' offense were at the Bears' 37-yard line.

Hughes, who ran a decoy route down the field, was jogging back to the huddle before he collapsed to the ground while clutching his chest near the 20-yard line.

Bears linebacker Dick Butkus saw the incident unfold and yelled for medical assistance. Doctors from both teams rushed onto the field to help Hughes and the wide receiver was taken to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Sadly, he was pronounced dead.

How did Chuck Hughes die?

A postmortem revealed that Hughes was suffering from advanced arteriosclerosis, which was undiagnosed. The official cause of death was coronary thrombosis, a heart attack that cuts off the blood supply to the heart.

Hughes' wife Sharon filed a $21.5 million lawsuit against Henry Ford Hospital for not diagnosing her husband's condition in May 1971. Hughes had gone in for an examination after suffering chest pains. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount.

Hughes remains the only fatality on the football field during an NFL game. We hope that remains the case until the end of time.