7 Brian Piccolo
Piccolo was stuck with the Chicago Bears during their horrid 1-13 season in 1969. He wasn’t the biggest kid on the field but he worked himself up to the fullback position. During the ninth game of the season, he suddenly asked to be removed from the game because he was having difficulty breathing. Once he returned back to Chicago and went to the doctor, he was diagnosed with embryonal cell carcinoma.
His initial surgery was to remove the tumor but he ultimately had to have his left lung and pectoral removed as well. However the surgeries were unsuccessful and the cancer spread to other organs in his body. After an eight month battle with cancer, Piccolo passed away.
