# List of gridiron football players who died during their careers

This is a list of players of gridiron football (American football and Canadian football) players who died while still on a team roster. Included are players in professional and college football who have died of any cause. For professional football players, the most common cause of death is vehicle crashes. For college players, the most common cause of death is in-game and practice injuries. Each player is listed with the team to which he was assigned at the time of his death, rather than the team with which he spent most of his career. Players who were free agents at the time of their death are not listed.

## National Football League

| † | = Pro Bowler |
| ‡ | = Hall of Famer |

### 1920–1965

| Name | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year |
| Ralph Anderson | 24 | WR | Los Angeles Chargers (AFL) | Diabetic reaction | 1960 |
| Jeff Burkett | 26 | WR / P | Chicago Cardinals | Plane crash | 1947 |
| Ernie Davis | 23 | HB | Cleveland Browns | Leukemia | 1963 |
| Terry Dillon | 22 | DB | Minnesota Vikings | Drowned | 1964 |
| Bo Farrington | 28 | TE | Chicago Bears | Car crash (with Willie Galimore) | 1964 |
| Don Fleming | 25 | S | Cleveland Browns | Accidental electrocution | 1963 |
| Willie Galimore † | 29 | HB | Chicago Bears | Car crash (with Bo Farrington) | 1964 |
| Howard Glenn | 26 | G | New York Titans (AFL) | Neck injury (in-game) | 1960 |
| Ching Hammill | 23 | BB | Providence Steam Roller | Crushed by electric crane | 1925 |
| Mack Lee Hill † | 25 | FB | Kansas City Chiefs (AFL) | Pulmonary embolism | 1965 |
| Stone Johnson | 23 | HB | Kansas City Chiefs (AFL) | Neck injury (in-game) | 1963 |
| Mose Kelsch | 38 | K | Pittsburgh Pirates | Car crash | 1935 |
| Bob Laraba | 28 | LB | San Diego Chargers (AFL) | Car crash | 1962 |
| Gene Lipscomb † | 31 | DT | Pittsburgh Steelers | Drug overdose | 1963 |
| Stan Mauldin | 27 | OT | Chicago Cardinals | Heart attack | 1948 |
| Lucien Reeberg | 21 | OT | Detroit Lions | Heart attack | 1964 |
| Dave Sparks | 26 | DT | Washington Redskins | Heart attack | 1954 |

### 1966–1995

| Name | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year |
| Jeff Alm | 25 | DT | Houston Oilers | Suicide | 1993 |
| Eric Andolsek | 25 | G | Detroit Lions | Car crash | 1992 |
| Troy Archer | 24 | DE | New York Giants | Car crash | 1979 |
| Brad Beckman | 24 | TE | Atlanta Falcons | Car crash | 1989 |
| Jerome Brown † | 27 | DT | Philadelphia Eagles | Car crash | 1992 |
| Frank Buncom † | 29 | LB | Cincinnati Bengals (AFL) | Blood clot | 1969 |
| J. V. Cain | 28 | TE | St. Louis Cardinals | Heart attack | 1979 |
| Rusty Chambers | 27 | LB | Miami Dolphins | Car crash | 1981 |
| Kirk Collins | 25 | CB | Los Angeles Rams | Esophageal cancer | 1984 |
| David Croudip | 30 | DB | Atlanta Falcons | Drug overdose | 1988 |
| Shane Curry | 24 | DE | Indianapolis Colts | Homicide | 1992 |
| Joe Delaney † | 24 | RB | Kansas City Chiefs | Drowned | 1983 |
| Jim Duncan | 26 | CB | Baltimore Colts | Suicide | 1972 |
| Randy Frisch | 23 | OT | Pittsburgh Steelers | Car crash | 1977 |
| Blenda Gay | 26 | DE | Philadelphia Eagles | Homicide | 1976 |
| Larry Gordon | 28 | LB | Miami Dolphins | Heart attack | 1983 |
| David Griggs | 28 | LB | San Diego Chargers | Car crash | 1995 |
| Roger Hagberg | 31 | TE | Oakland Raiders (AFL) | Car crash | 1970 |
| Chuck Hughes | 28 | WR | Detroit Lions | Cardiac arrest (in-game), compounded by spleen injury from a previous game | 1971 |
| Bruce McLenna | 26 | FB | Kansas City Chiefs (AFL) | Car crash | 1968 |
| Ralph Norwood | 23 | OT | Atlanta Falcons | Car crash | 1989 |
| David Overstreet | 25 | RB | Miami Dolphins | Car crash | 1984 |
| Brian Piccolo | 26 | HB | Chicago Bears | Embryonal cell carcinoma | 1970 |
| Ron Rector | 24 | HB | Atlanta Falcons | Motorcycle crash | 1968 |
| Don Rogers | 23 | S | Cleveland Browns | Drug overdose | 1986 |
| Andy Spiva | 24 | LB | Atlanta Falcons | Car crash | 1979 |
| Stacey Toran | 27 | DB | Los Angeles Raiders | Car crash | 1989 |
| Fred Washington | 23 | DT | Chicago Bears | Car crash | 1990 |
| Dave Waymer † | 34 | S | Los Angeles Raiders | Heart attack | 1993 |

### 1996–2021

| Name | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year |
| Gaines Adams | 26 | DE | Chicago Bears | Cardiac arrest | 2010 |
| Jovan Belcher | 25 | LB | Kansas City Chiefs | Suicide | 2012 |
| Leon Bender | 22 | DT | Oakland Raiders | Seizure | 1998 |
| Jerry Brown | 25 | LB | Dallas Cowboys | Car crash | 2012 |
| Brandon Burlsworth | 22 | G | Indianapolis Colts | Car crash | 1999 |
| Marcus Cassel | 23 | CB | Carolina Panthers | Car crash | 2006 |
| Marquis Cooper | 26 | LB | Oakland Raiders | Presumed dead from boating accident; body never found | 2009 |
| Rodney Culver | 26 | RB | San Diego Chargers | Plane crash | 1996 |
| Chris Henry | 26 | WR | Cincinnati Bengals | Fell out of back of a moving vehicle | 2009 |
| Thomas Herrion | 23 | G | San Francisco 49ers | Ischaemic heart disease | 2005 |
| Marquise Hill | 24 | DE | New England Patriots | Drowned | 2007 |
| Edwin Jackson | 26 | LB | Indianapolis Colts | Car crash | 2018 |
| Fred Lane | 24 | RB | Carolina Panthers | Homicide | 2000 |
| Kenny McKinley | 23 | WR | Denver Broncos | Suicide | 2010 |
| O.J. Murdock | 25 | WR | Tennessee Titans | Suicide | 2012 |
| Damien Nash | 24 | RB | Denver Broncos | Cardiac failure | 2007 |
| Corey Smith | 29 | DE | Detroit Lions | Presumed dead from boating accident, body never found | 2009 |
| Korey Stringer † | 27 | OT | Minnesota Vikings | Heat stroke | 2001 |
| Sean Taylor † | 24 | FS | Washington Redskins | Homicide | 2007 |
| Derrick Thomas ‡ | 33 | LB | Kansas City Chiefs | Pulmonary embolism | 2000 |
| Eric Turner † | 31 | S | Oakland Raiders | Stomach cancer | 2000 |
| Tray Walker | 23 | CB | Baltimore Ravens | Motorcycle crash | 2016 |
| Darrent Williams | 24 | CB | Denver Broncos | Homicide | 2007 |

### 2022–present

| Name | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year |
| Jaylon Ferguson | 26 | LB, DE | Baltimore Ravens | Drug overdose | 2022 |
| Jeff Gladney | 25 | CB | Arizona Cardinals | Car crash | 2022 |
| Dwayne Haskins | 24 | QB | Pittsburgh Steelers | Hit by vehicle while walking | 2022 |
| Khyree Jackson | 24 | CB | Minnesota Vikings | Car crash | 2024 |

## Canadian Football League

| Name | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year |
| Allen Gallaher | 26 | OL | BC Lions | Heart attack | 1977 |
| Mylan Hicks | 23 | DB | Calgary Stampeders | Homicide | 2016 |
| Joe McKnight | 28 | RB | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Homicide | 2016 |
| Tom Pate | 23 | LB | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Aneurysm (in game) | 1975 |
| Christian Saulsberry | 25 | WR | Edmonton Elks | Homicide | 2022 |
| Derrell Robertson | 27 | DE | Las Vegas Posse | Car crash | 1994 |
| Adrian Robinson | 25 | LB | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Suicide | 2015 |
| Ted Watkins | 27 | WR | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Shot while robbing a liquor store | 1968 |

## Minor league football and Arena football

| Name | Age | Position | Team | Cause of death | Year |
| Glen Hepburn | 29 | Two-way end | Omaha Mustangs (Continental Football League) | Injuries sustained during game vs Michigan Arrows | 1968 |
| Donald Sellers | 26 | WR | Las Vegas Outlaws (XFL) | Car crash | 2001 |
| Troy Stark | 28 | OL | New York/New Jersey Hitmen (XFL) | Complications from surgery | 2001 |
| Julian Yearwood | 31 | FB/LB | Bakersfield Blitz (AF2) | Clogged arteries | 2003 |
| Al Lucas | 26 | DT | Los Angeles Avengers (AFL) | In-game neck injury vs New York Dragons | 2005 |
| Justin Skaggs | 28 | QB | Utah Blaze (AFL) | Stage III oligodendroglioma brain cancer | 2007 |
| Johnathan Goddard | 27 | DE | Colorado Crush (AFL) | Motorcycle crash | 2008 |
| Johnie Kirton | 26 | RB | San Jose SaberCats (AFL) | Methadone toxicity | 2012 |
| Chandler Williams | 27 | WR | Tampa Bay Storm (AFL) | Cardiac arrest | 2013 |
| Odin Lloyd | 27 | Linebacker | Boston Bandits (New England Football League) | Homicide | 2013 |
| Chris Brown | 24 | Offensive lineman | DC Defenders (XFL) | Drowned | 2021 |
| Jessie Lemonier | 25 | Linebacker | Birmingham Stallions (USFL) | Unknown | 2023 |
| Chris Smith | 31 | Defensive end | Seattle Sea Dragons (XFL) | Unknown | 2023 |
| Alex Collins | 28 | Running back | Memphis Showboats (USFL) | Motorcycle accident | 2023 |
| Diondre Overton | 26 | Wide receiver | Memphis Showboats (USFL) | Homicide | 2024 |
| Zachary Lucas | 40 | Center | Coralville Chaos (AIF) | Homicide | 2025 |

## College

| Player | Age | School | Position | Cause of death | Year |
| Bennie Abram III | 20 | Mississippi | Safety | Exercise collapse associated with sickle cell trait | 2010 |
| Brandon Adams | 21 | Georgia Tech | Nose tackle | Collapsed and hit head while dancing | 2019 |
| Ted Agu | 21 | California | Defensive end | Exercise collapse associated with sickle cell trait | 2014 |
| John Airhart | 19 | Simmons College | Quarterback | Traumatic brain injury sustained during 1909 game vs. Howard Payne | 1910 |
| John Albert | | Chicago | Multiple | Stomach ailment | 1914 |
| Mason Alexander | 18 | Pittsburgh | Cornerback | Car crash | 2025 |
| John Allen | 24 | Christian Brothers College | Tackle | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. St. Louis University alumni team | 1899 |
| Kyle Ambrogi | 21 | Pennsylvania | Running back | Suicide | 2005 |
| Avery Atkins | 20 | University of Florida | Cornerback | Ecstasy overdose | 2007 |
| Sal Aunese | 21 | University of Colorado | Quarterback | Stomach cancer | 1989 |
| Walter Back | 22 | Oregon | | Blood poisoning | 1935 |
| George T. Bahen | 21 | Georgetown | Halfback | Spinal cord injury sustained during 1894 game vs. Columbia Athletic Club | 1895 |
| Marlin Barnes | 22 | University of Miami | Linebacker | Homicide | 1996 |
| Charles Beccara | | Lehigh | Guard | Accidental self-inflicted gunshot | 1895 |
| Bryce Beekman | 22 | Washington State | Cornerback | Acute intoxication after consuming fentanyl and promethazine | 2020 |
| Verner Belyea | | Norwich College | Halfback | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. Holy Cross | 1913 |
| Heath Benedict | 24 | Newberry College | Offensive tackle | Enlarged heart | 2008 |
| Brook Berringer | 22 | University of Nebraska | Quarterback | Plane crash | 1996 |
| Preston Birdsong | 19 | Tennessee Tech | Defensive back | Exercise collapse associated with sickle cell trait | 2000 |
| Edward Bohn | 22 | Missouri Mines | Halfback | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. Central Missouri | 1920 |
| Jesse Boshears | 20 | Arkansas Tech | Offensive lineman | COVID-19 | 2022 |
| Austin Box | 22 | University of Oklahoma | Linebacker | Accidental opioid overdose | 2011 |
| Tajh Boyd | 19 | Liberty University | Offensive lineman | Suicide | 2023 |
| Cary Brown | | Presbyterian | End | Spinal cord injury sustained during practice | 1923 |
| Hunter Brown | 21 | Air Force Academy | Offensive lineman | Blood clot in lungs following an injury suffered in practice | 2023 |
| Michael Burke | 21 | Medico-Chirurgical College | Tackle | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. Philadelphia Pharmacy | 1909 |
| Medrick Burnett Jr. | 20 | Alabama A&M | Linebacker | Serious injury after a head-on collision during game vs. Alabama State | 2024 |
| Eugene Byrne | 21 | Army | Tackle | Traumatic brain and spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. Harvard | 1909 |
| Derringer Cade | 20 | Northeast Missouri State | Linebacker | Idiopathic hypertropic cardiomyopathy sustained during game vs. Southwest Baptist University | 1990 |
| Ronnie Caldwell | 21 | Northwestern State | Safety | Homicide | 2023 |
| Leon Carey | 20 | Arkansas A&M | | Cerebral hemorrhage | 1931 |
| Devin Chandler | 20 | Virginia | Wide receiver | Homicide | 2022 |
| Archer Christian | 18 | Virginia | Halfback | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. Georgetown | 1909 |
| Ben Christman | 21 | UNLV | Offensive lineman | Unknown | 2025 |
| Ladarius Clardy | 18 | Kennesaw State | Quarterback | Homicide | 2021 |
| Leonard Clarkson | 23 | Norwich College | End | Internal injuries sustained during game vs. Dartmouth | 1907 |
| Jackson Coker | 18 | Columbia | Wide receiver | Automobile accident | 2021 |
| Hiram Cole | 19 | Central Methodist | | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. Missouri Military | 1916 |
| Jeremiah Collins | 18 | Austin Peay State | Cornerback | Car crash | 2023 |
| John Cooper | | North Carolina | | Spinal cord injury sustained during practice | 1908 |
| E.L. Cowden | | Eastman Business College | | Internal injuries sustained during game vs. Poughkeepsie High School | 1899 |
| Tylee Craft | 23 | North Carolina | Wide receiver | Stage 4 large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma | 2024 |
| John Crumbacher | | Tennessee | Offensive tackle | Car crash | 1966 |
| John Curley | 20 | Trinity College (IA) | | Unknown | 1924 |
| Carl Dahlbeck | 25 | Purdue | Guard | Burn injury | 1936 |
| Tom McGannon | 20 | Purdue | Halfback | Burn injury | 1936 |
| Mario Danelo | 21 | USC | Kicker | Fall from a cliff | 2007 |
| Marcus "MJ" Daniels Jr. | 21 | Southern Miss | Cornerback | Homicide | 2024 |
| Devaughn Darling | 18 | Florida State | Linebacker | Exercise collapse associated with sickle cell trait | 2001 |
| Donald Davis | | Emporia State | Halfback | Internal injuries sustained during game vs. Baker | 1921 |
| Lavel Davis Jr. | 21 | Virginia | Wide receiver | Homicide | 2022 |
| Ernest Dickson | 21 | Arkansas | Halfback | Pneumonia | 1908 |
| Ovid Donaldson | | McMurry | End | Spinal cord injury sustained diving into a swimming pool | 1927 |
| Aaron Douglas | 21 | Alabama | Offensive lineman | Accidental overdose | 2011 |
| Gardner Dow | 21 | University of Connecticut | Center | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. New Hampshire | 1919 |
| Butch Duhe | 20 | LSU | Quarterback | Congenital heart defect | 1970 |
| W.L. Egan | | Northwestern Oklahoma State | Halfback | Traumatic brain injury | 1910 |
| Jake Ehlinger | 20 | Texas | Linebacker | Accidental overdose | 2021 |
| Richard Evans | | College of Wooster | Halfback | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. Western Reserve | 1907 |
| Thomas Evans | | Utah State | Guard | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. Colorado Mines | 1908 |
| James Fenton | 21 | Holy Cross | Tackle | Spinal cord injury sustained during practice | 1928 |
| G. Cook Ferebee | 19 | VMI | Halfback | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. Roanoke College | 1908 |
| Oliver Ferry | | Alfred | | Internal injuries sustained during 1920 game vs. Allegheny | 1921 |
| Tom Fisher | | Tennessee | Linebacker | Car crash | 1966 |
| Lorvens Florestal | 19 | Charleston Southern | Defensive end | Homicide | 2021 |
| David Forney | 22 | Navy | Offensive lineman | Cardiac arrest | 2020 |
| Miles Fox | 19 | Navy | Running back | Sunstroke sustained during practice | 1928 |
| Richard Von Albade Gammon | 17 | Georgia | Fullback | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. Virginia | 1897 |
| E. Herbert Garrison | 22 | Dickinson | End | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. Swarthmore | 1886 |
| Clayton Geib | 21 | College of Wooster | Offensive guard | Cerebral edema following game vs. Ohio Wesleyan | 2017 |
| George Gipp | 25 | University of Notre Dame | Multiple | Strep throat infection and pneumonia | 1920 |
| Eric Goll | 20 | Chadron State | Defensive lineman | Exercise collapse associated with sickle cell trait | 2016 |
| Harry Goodloe | 20 | Central (KY) | | Internal injuries sustained during game vs. Kentucky | 1894 |
| Leo Goodreau | 19 | Villanova | Quarterback | Spinal cord injury sustained during practice | 1928 |
| Robert Grays | 19 | Midwestern State | Defensive back | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville | 2017 |
| Reuben Gretschow | 23 | Elmhurst | Tackle | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. Valparaiso | 1931 |
| Lewis Grisler | 21 | Ohio Wesleyan | End | Heart failure sustained during practice | 1906 |
| Theodore Hammonds | 23 | Warner | Wide receiver | Exercise collapse | 2019 |
| Jyilek Harrington | 21 | West Virginia State | Inside linebacker | Homicide | 2024 |
| Jack Hartsock | 17 | Ohio Wesleyan | | Unknown | 1935 |
| Tyler Heintz | 19 | Kent State | Offensive lineman | Exertional heat stroke following conditioning drills | 2017 |
| Tyler Hilinski | 21 | Washington State University | Quarterback | Suicide | 2018 |
| Edwin Hill | 25 | NYU | Halfback | Accidental gunshot | 1929 |
| Henry Hooper | 20 | Dartmouth | Center | Complications from appendicitis surgery | 1904 |
| Charles Hope | | Corning Free Academy | | Injuries received during a game | 1903 |
| Tyler Horst | 22 | Bloomsburg | Fullback | Injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident | 2021 |
| Jasper Howard | 20 | University of Connecticut | Cornerback | Homicide (stabbed) | 2009 |
| Terrance Howard | 19 | Alabama / North Carolina Central | Defensive back | Car crash | 2024 |
| Jaden Hullaby | 21 | University of New Mexico | Halfback/Tight end | Unknown | 2023 |
| James Jamieson | | Cornell | Quarterback | Typhoid fever | 1907 |
| Tommy Johnson | 24 | Kansas | Quarterback | Kidney failure related to injury sustained during game vs. Missouri | 1911 |
| Harry Jordan | 19 | Sioux Falls College | Running back | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. South Dakota | 1902 |
| Ty Jordan | 19 | Utah | Running back | Accidental gunshot | 2020 |
| Kosta Karageorge | 22 | Ohio State | Defensive lineman | Suicide | 2014 |
| Ryan Keeler | 20 | UNLV | Defensive lineman | Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy | 2023 |
| Harry Knight | | Drexel | Fullback | Crushed skull during practice game against Penn | 1894 |
| Luke Knox | 22 | FIU | Linebacker/Tight end | Unknown | 2022 |
| Mariushi Kuwamoto | 28 | Hawaii | Halfback | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. Kamehameha School | 1917 |
| Charles Lange | 19 | Montana State | | Spinal cord injury sustained during practice | 1911 |
| Myzelle Law | 19 | MidAmerica Nazarene University | Defensive lineman | Heat-related injuries at practice | 2023 |
| Robert Layfield | 18 | Johns Hopkins | Quarterback | Spinal cord injury sustained during 1914 game vs. Lehigh | 1915 |
| Robert Lewin | | Baltimore Medical College | Guard | Heart failure during game vs. Navy | 1903 |
| Dale Lloyd II | 19 | Rice | Defensive back | Exercise collapse associated with sickle cell trait | 2006 |
| James Edward "Jimmy" Long | | University of Tennessee Junior College | Tailback | Ruptured blood vessel in the brain sustained during a game at Northwest Mississippi Junior College | 1935 |
| Aaron Lowe | 21 | Utah | Cornerback | Homicide | 2021 |
| Lyons | | Washington & Jefferson | | Injuries received during a game | 1892 |
| Levi Madison | 19 | Mississippi Gulf Coast CC | Defensive lineman | Car crash | 2021 |
| Mafatini Taimane-Laititi Mafatini | 18 | Snow College | Offensive lineman | Car crash | 2021 |
| Keith Marco | 21 | Cal Poly | Offensive lineman | Pulmonary embolism | 2024 |
| Teigan Martin | 20 | South Florida | Tight end | Car crash | 2024 |
| Justin McAllister | 19 | Sacramento City College Panthers | Offensive tackle | Heart failure | 2023 |
| Ralph McClure | 21 | Colorado College | Back | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. Colorado | 1932 |
| Robert McKee | | Alma | Tackle | Internal injuries sustained during game vs. Detroit Athletic Club | 1901 |
| Tay McKibbins | 18 | Georgia Southern | Offensive lineman | Cancer | 2025 |
| Gordon McMillan | 21 | West Virginia | Quarterback | Pneumonia | 1924 |
| Jordan McNair | 19 | Maryland | Offensive lineman | Liver failure (caused by heatstroke) | 2018 |
| Camdan McWright | 18 | San Jose State | Running back | Traffic collision (hit by a school bus while riding an electric scooter) | 2022 |
| Wayne Merrifield | 21 | Michigan State Normal College | | Internal injuries | 1931 |
| Walter Merryman | 22 | Davis & Elkins | Halfback | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. Western Maryland | 1911 |
| Keith Miller III | 23 | Texas A&M–Commerce | Wide receiver | Unknown | 2024 |
| Darius Minor | 18 | University of Maine | Defensive back | Aortic dissection | 2018 |
| James Mock | 19 | Roanoke College | | Pneumonia (caused by internal injuries sustained during practice) | 1910 |
| Rudolph Monk | 29 | West Virginia | Halfback | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. Bethany College (WV) | 1910 |
| Howard Montgomery | 21 | Hampden-Sydney | Tackle | Spinal cord injury sustained during practice | 1905 |
| Harold P. Moore | 19 | Union (NY) | Halfback | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. NYU | 1905 |
| Ed Morrissey | 21 | St. Ambrose College | | Pneumonia and blood poisoning | 1913 |
| Anthony Mostella | 22 | South Alabama | Running back | Motorcycle crash | 2010 |
| Chucky Mullins | 21 | University of Mississippi | Defensive back | Spinal cord injury sustained during 1989 game vs. Vanderbilt | 1991 |
| Cornelius Murphy | 21 | Fordham | Tackle | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. Bucknell | 1931 |
| John "Jack" Murphy | 23 | Appalachian State | Offensive lineman | Unknown | 2024 |
| Aaron O'Neal | 19 | Missouri | Linebacker | Exercise collapse associated with sickle cell trait | 2005 |
| Edgar Newschwander | | Ripon | Tackle | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. Northwestern College (WI) | 1900 |
| James Nichols | | University of Alabama | Center | Spinal injury | 1931 |
| Virgil Noland | 21 | Oregon | Guard | Burn injury | 1911 |
| Edison Ogrosky | 20 | Southwestern (KS) | Fullback | Internal injuries sustained during game vs. Bethany College (KS) | 1924 |
| Bryan Pata | 22 | University of Miami | Defensive lineman | Homicide | 2006 |
| Ivan Perkins | 21 | New Mexico Normal | | Traumatic brain injury sustained during practice | 1937 |
| D'Sean Perry | 20 | Virginia | Linebacker | Homicide | 2022 |
| Charles Persland | | Pennsylvania Military College | | Traumatic brain injury | 1917 |
| John Peters | | Morningside | | Internal injuries sustained during practice | 1909 |
| Lawrence Pierson | | Lake Forest | Halfback | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. South Division High School | 1900 |
| Ereck Plancher | 19 | Central Florida | Wide receiver | Exercise collapse associated with sickle cell trait | 2008 |
| Polie Poitier | 19 | Colorado | Defensive back | Exercise collapse associated with sickle cell trait | 1974 |
| Alfred Primm, Jr. | | Amherst | Halfback | Spinal cord injury sustained during practice | 1926 |
| Charles Prior | | Lehigh | Quarterback | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. West Virginia Wesleyan | 1925 |
| Ryan Quinney | 20 | Mississippi Valley State | Linebacker | Car crash | 2024 |
| Jack Reeves | 23 | Emporia State | Fullback | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. Washburn | 1920 |
| Paul Reyna | 19 | Boise State | Defensive Tackle | Traumatic brain injury sustained during scrimmage | 1999 |
| Paul Root | | Eastern Illinois | Halfback | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. Illinois State | 1915 |
| Joe Roth | 21 | University of California Berkeley | Quarterback | Melanoma | 1977 |
| Reed Ryan | 22 | University of Minnesota Duluth | Defensive lineman | Genetic heart condition | 2023 |
| Hugh Saussy | 18 | City College of New York | Guard | Traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. Elizabeth Athletic Club | 1893 |
| Bryan Scott | | Knox College | | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. St. Louis University | 1915 |
| John Segrist | 27 | Ohio State | Center-rush | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. Western Reserve | 1901 |
| Andre Seldon Jr. | 22 | Utah State | Cornerback | Drowning | 2024 |
| Bertrand F. Serf | 18 | Doane | Quarterback | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. Kansas | 1896 |
| Ron Settles | 21 | California State University, Long Beach (Long Beach State) | Running back | Found hanging in jail cell | 1981 |
| Frank Shanklin | 21 | Hanover College | End | Internal injuries sustained during practice | 1903 |
| Derek Sheely | 22 | Frostburg State | Fullback | Traumatic brain injury sustained during practice | 2011 |
| Richard Sheridan, Jr. | 26 | Army | End | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. Yale | 1931 |
| Ja'Quayvin Smalls | 20 | Western Carolina | Defensive back | Exercise collapse associated with sickle cell trait | 2009 |
| AJ Simon | 25 | Albany | Defensive end | Unknown | 2024 |
| C. D. Smith | | Millsaps | Tackle | Spinal cord injury sustained during game vs. Stetson | 1931 |
| Denali Smith | 20 | Graceland University | Defensive lineman | Unknown | 2024 |
| Wayne Souza | 20 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Flanker | Drowned while swimming in Lake Monona | 1979 |
| Joe Spybuck | 19 | Haskell | Tackle | Traumatic brain injury sustained during practice game | 1909 |
| Bryce Stanfield | 21 | Furman | Defensive tackle | Pulmonary embolism following a sudden medical emergency during a football workout | 2024 |
| Freddie Joe Steinmark | 22 | University of Texas at Austin | Safety | Osteosarcoma | 1971 |
| Jamain Stephens | 20 | California (PA) | Defensive lineman | Blood clot in heart | 2020 |
| Rodney Stowers | 20 | Mississippi State | Nose guard | Broken leg injury | 1991 |
| Altee Tenpenny | 20 | Alabama / Nicholls | Running back | Car crash | 2015 |
| Owen Thomas | 21 | Pennsylvania | Offensive lineman | Suicide | 2010 |
| Jack Trice | 21 | Iowa State University | Tackle | Internal injuries sustained during game vs. Minnesota | 1923 |
| Frank Trimble | | Indiana | Tackle | Blood poisoning | 1909 |
| Sione Veikoso | 22 | BYU | Offensive lineman | Construction accident | 2022 |
| Brian Alan Wagner | 19 | Emporia State | Linebacker | Homicide (Traumatic Brain Injury from physical assault) | 1999 |
| Kevon Walker | 18 | Saint Francis | Defensive lineman | Unknown | 2024 |
| Joseph Walsh | | St. Mary's College (KS) | Guard | Spinal cord injury sustained during practice | 1909 |
| George Watkinson | 22 | Yale | Halfback | "Over-exertion and exposure" sustained during game vs. Princeton | 1886 |
| Spencer Webb | 22 | Oregon | Tight end | Head injury from cliff diving | 2022 |
| Sam Westmoreland | 18 | Mississippi State | Offensive lineman | Suicide | 2022 |
| Rashidi Wheeler | 22 | Northwestern | Safety | Exercise collapse associated with bronchial asthma | 2001 |
| Jordan Wiggins | 18 | Georgia Southern University | Offensive lineman | Suicide | 2019 |
| Quandarius Wilburn | 18 | Virginia Union | Defensive end | Suffering an acute sickle cell crisis during practice | 2021 |
| Chad Wiley | 22 | North Carolina A&T | Offensive lineman | Exercise collapse associated with sickle cell trait | 2008 |
| Curtis Williams | 24 | Washington | Safety | Spinal cord injury sustained during 2000 game vs. Stanford | 2002 |
| Tirrell Williams | 19 | Fort Scott CC | Defensive tackle | Heat stroke during practice | 2021 |
| Devin Willock | 21 | Georgia | Offensive lineman | Car crash | 2023 |
| Earl Wilson | | Navy | Quarterback | Spinal cord injury sustained during 1909 game vs. Villanova | 1910 |
| Ralph Wilson | 18 | Wabash | Halfback | Traumatic brain injury sustained during game vs. St. Louis University | 1910 |
| Willis Wilson | 21 | Hawaii | Running back | Drowned | 2013 |
| Khambrail Winters | 20 | Texas State | Defensive back | Homicide | 2020 |
| John Withnell | | St. Louis University | Quarterback | Internal injuries sustained during practice | 1903 |
| Homer Wray | | Gettysburg | | Internal injuries sustained during a practice game | 1913 |
| Clark Yarbrough | 21 | Ouachita Baptist | Defensive lineman | Suffering a seizure | 2022 |
| Ted York | 20 | Yale | Guard | Pneumonia | 1912 |

## Team vehicle and plane crashes

* Purdue: 14 members of football team were killed in a railroad collision (1903).
* Northeastern Oklahoma A&M: 5 football players were killed in a head-on highway crash (1966).
* Marshall: 37 members died in an airplane crash (1970).
* Wichita State: most of the starting players and coaches, 31 in total, died in an airplane crash (1970).
* Cal Poly Mustangs football team: 16 players and 6 others died in an airplane crash (1960).
* Southwestern Oklahoma State: 4 football players were killed in a car crash (1996).