John Tuggle
John Davis Tuggle (January 13, 1961August 30, 1986) was a running back in the National Football League. Tuggle was the last selection of the 1983 NFL Draft, selected by the New York Giants. The nickname given to the last player selected in the draft is "Mr. Irrelevant." He played that season with the team. He would go on to be awarded the New York Giants Special Teams Player of the Year that season. Tuggle played high school football for Independence High School in San Jose, California. The school now holds an annual golf tournament in his memory, as  a sports program fundraiser. He went on to play four seasons for the California Golden Bears as their starting fullback, rushing for 1,813 yards and 16 touchdowns, while also catching 108 passes for 914 yards and 3 scores. In the 1982 game against Stanford University, Tuggle had 28 carries for 97 yards, a performance that was largely overshadowed by the game's dramatic ending, known as The Play. Tuggle played most of the 1983 season on special teams, but was promoted to starting fullback in week 12 when Rob Carpenter was injured. He finished the season with 17 carries for  49 yards and a touchdown, three receptions for 50 yards, and 9 kickoff returns for 156 yards. He was voted special teams player of the year by his teammates. In 1984, Tuggle was diagnosed with cancer, but stayed on the team and continued to work out with them, hoping he could one day return to the field. "You could tell what a terrible thing his chemotherapy was," said Giants conditioning coach Johnny Parker, "but John actually got stronger, and although it broke your heart to do it, he wanted to be pushed, he didn't want sympathy. In the weight  room, John Tuggle was not sick. John Tuggle was a standard." The Giants advised Tuggle not to report to training camp in 1985, as that way they would not have to cut him from the team and he could continue to collect his salary until his contract expired in February 1986. Tuggle died from cancer on August 30, 1986. Though they did not keep him on the team after the 1985 season, the Giants paid for Tuggle's health insurance for the remainder of his life, and wore his number 38 on their helmets during their 1986–87 Super Bowl winning  season. Coincidentally, another former Giant, Carl "Spider" Lockhart, a defensive back from 1965–75, died from lymphoma on July 9, 1986. The Giants honored Lockhart with a "Spider" patch on their jerseys throughout the 1986 season. Tuggle was the subject of the "30 for 30" short, "The Irrelevant Giant".