Darryl Stingley – Neck Injury & Paralysis
In 1978, Stingley was hit by Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum, compressing his spinal cord and breaking his fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae. While he did gain movement back in his right arm, he spent the rest of his life as a quadriplegic. This event led the NFL to ban all blows to the head or neck of a defenseless player, and has disallowed players to launch themselves in tackling defenseless players. Sadly, Stingley died in 2007 from heart disease and pneumonia complicated by quadriplegia.