Jeff Staggs

Jeff Staggs

No. 81, 87
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(1944-05-14)May 14, 1944 Elgin, Illinois, U.S.
Died:	September 17, 2014(2014-09-17) (aged 70) El Cajon, California, U.S.
Career information
College:	San Diego State
AFL draft:	1966 / round: Red Shirt 3 / pick: 26 (by the San Diego Chargers)[1]
Career history
San Diego Chargers (1967–1972, 1974) St. Louis Cardinals (1973)
Career highlights and awards
San Diego State Aztec Hall of Fame (2009)
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jeffrey Hugh Staggs (May 14, 1944 - September 17, 2014) was an American college and professional football player who played for the San Diego State Aztecs and San Diego Chargers.

Early life

Staggs was born in Elgin, Illinois and raised in San Diego County. After graduating from Point Loma High School, he attended Brigham Young University and San Diego City College.^[2]

Career

College

For two years, Staggs played college football at San Diego State University under coach Don Coryell, where he was a linebacker on the Aztecs' winning the Camellia Bowl in 1966 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.^[3]

Professional

Staggs played professionally in the American Football League and the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers (1967–1972 and 1974) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1973).^[4] He was traded along with a second rounder in 1972 and a second and third rounder in 1973 from the Chargers to the Rams for Deacon Jones, Lee White and Greg Wojcik on January 29, 1972.^[5][6]

Personal life

Staggs died in his sleep on September 17, 2014.^[7] After his death, Staggs's brain was donated to the Boston University CTE Center and Brain Bank, where it was found that he had suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).^[8] He is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated hits to the head.^[9][10] In 2018, a wrongful death lawsuit was filed on behalf of Staggs and other football players against the National Collegiate Athletic Association.^[11]

See also

• Other American Football League players

References

1. "1966 AFL Draft". Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
2. "Widow of former SDSU linebacker explains lawsuit against NCAA". FOX 5 San Diego. September 18, 2018. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
3. "San Diego State Athletics – Jeff Staggs". Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
4. "Jeff Staggs NFL & AFL Football Statistics – Pro-Football-Reference.com".
5. "Chargers Trade for Deacon Jones," United Press International (UPI), Saturday, January 29, 1972. Retrieved November 1, 2020
6. 1972 NFL Draft Pick Transactions, February 1 (Rounds 1–7) & 2 (Rounds 8–17) – Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved November 1, 2020
7. "Jeff Staggs Obituary at U-T San Diego".
8. "Faces of Concussions: Chargers star Jeff Staggs had CTE". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
9. "The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)". Concussion Legacy Foundation. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
10. Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller (June 20, 2023). "Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
11. "Widow of ex-SDSU player sues NCAA over his death". KGTV. August 28, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2022.