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Football News / Obituaries 2026 NOTE: The intent of the News Section is not to dwell on negative stories that are more suited to be found in the Police and Crime Section of your local newspaper, but to report and document stories that cover the entire realm of The World of Football. Chances are, you may not have seen some of these stories before.
News Archives
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February (Obituary) February 6, 2026 – Sonny Jurgenson, a quarterback in the NFL for 18 seasons, dies at the age of 91. Jurgenson played college football at Duke and was selected in the fourth round of the 1957 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played for the Eagles from 1957-1963 and won an NFL title with the Eagles in 1960. He also played for the Washington Redskins from 1964-1974. Jurgenson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983. (Obituary) February 6, 2026 – Barry Wilburn, a defensive back in the NFL and the Canadian Football League, dies in a house fire at the age of 62. Wilburn played college football at Ole Miss and was selected in the eighth round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He signed with the Redskins and played for the team from 1985-1989, winning Super Bowl XXII (22) with the Redskins. He also played for the Cleveland Browns in 1992, the CFL Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1993 and the CFL BC Lions in 1994, where he won a Grey Cup title. He then returned to the NFL and played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1995 and 1996. Wilburn finished his playing career back in the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1999. (Obituary) February 9, 2026 – Tracy Scroggins, a linebacker in the NFL for 10 seasons, dies at the age of 56. Scroggins played college football at Tulsa and was selected in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. He played his entire career with the Lions from 1992-2001.
January (Obituary) January 3, 2026 – Tony Dennis, a wide receiver in the Canadian Football League for five seasons, dies at the age of 63. Dennis played college football at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and was selected in the fourth round of the 1985 CFL Draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He played for the Riders from 1985-1987, the Calgary Stampeders in 1988 and the BC Lions in 1990. (Obituary) January 7, 2026 – John Levra, a longtime assistant coach in the NFL and the Canadian Football League, dies at the age of 88. Levra began coaching at the pro level with the CFL BC Lions in 1980. He also was an assistant coach with the New Orleans Saints from 1981-1985, Chicago Bears 1986-1992, Denver Broncos 1993-94, Minnesota Vikings 1995-1997 and Buffalo Bills 1998-2001. (Obituary) January 7, 2026 – Billy Truax, a tight end in the NFL for 10 seasons, dies at the age of 82. Truax played college football at LSU and was selected in the second round of the 1964 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He was also selected in the second round of the 1964 American Football League Draft by the Houston Oilers. He signed with the Browns, but was traded to the Los Angeles Rams and played for the team from 1964-1970. He also played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1971-1971 and won Super Bowl VI with the Cowboys. (Obituary) January 7, 2026 – Nick Eddy, a running back in the NFL for four seasons, dies at the age of 81. Eddy played college football at Notre Dame and was selected in the second round of the 1966 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. He was also selected with the third overall pick in the 1966 AFL Redshirt Draft by the Denver Broncos. He signed with the Lions and played for the team from 1968-1970 and again in 1972. (Obituary) January 7, 2026 – Randy McMillian, a running back in the NFL for six seasons, dies at the age of 67. McMillian played college football at Pittsburgh and was the 12th overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. He played for the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts from 1981-1986. (Obituary) January 7, 2026 – Clyde Werner, a linebacker in the NFL for six seasons, dies at the age of 77. Werner played college football at Washington and was selected in the second round of the 1970 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. He played for the Chiefs from 1970-1974 and again in 1976. (Obituary) January 8, 2026 – Jim Furlong, a linebacker and punter in the Canadian Football League for 12 seasons, dies at the age of 85. Furlong played college football at Tulsa and signed with the Calgary Stampeders. He played his entire career with Calgary from 1962-1973. Furlong played in three Grey Cup Games and won his only Grey Cup title in 1971. (Obituary) January 16, 2026 – Frank Pitts, a wide receiver in the NFL and the American Football League for 10 seasons, dies at the age of 82. Pitts played college football at Southern University and was selected in the 16th round of the 1965 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He was also selected in the fourth round of the 1965 AFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. He signed with the Chiefs and played for the team from 1965-1970, playing in Super Bowl I and winning Super Bowl IV with the Chiefs. He also played for the Cleveland Browns from 1971-1973 and finished his playing career with the Oakland Raiders in 1974. (Obituary) January 16,2026 – Chet Brooks, a safety in the NFL for three seasons, dies of cancer at the age of 60. Brooks played college football at Texas A&M and was selected in the 11th round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the San Francoisco 49ers. He played for the team from 1988-1990 and won Super Bowls 23 and 24 as a member of the team. (Obituary) January 17, 2026 – Claude “Hoot” Gibson, a defensive back in the American Football League for five seasons, dies at the age of 87. Gibson played college football at NC State and was selected in the third round of the 1961 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He was also selected in the seventh round of the 1961 AFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He signed with the Chargers and played two seasons for the team from 1961-1962. He also played for the Oakland Raiders from 1963-1965. (Obituary) January 23, 2026 – John Brodie, a quarterback in the NFL for 17 seasons, dies at the age of 90. Brodie played college football at Stanford and was the third overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He played his entire career with the 49ers from 1957-1973. He was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 1965 and NFL MVP in 1970. Brodie enjoyed a successful second career as a professional golfer on the Senior PGA Tour and also worked as a broadcaster for both football and golf. He was inducted into the 49ers Hall of Fame in its inaugural class in 2009. (Obituary) January 24, 2026 – Lee Fobbs, a running back in the Canadian Football League and the World Football League, dies at the age of 75. Fobbs played college football at Grambling State and played for the CFL Ottawa Rough Riders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1973, winning a Grey Cup title as a member of the Rough Riders. He also played for the Detroit Wheels of the World Football League in 1974. Fobbs then went into coaching. He was an assistant coach at Tulane, Southern, Minnesota, Baylor, Alabama, Texas A&M, Kansas and Grambling State. He was also the head coach at North Carolina A&T from 2006 to 2008. (Obituary) January 26, 2026 – Clendon Thomas, a defensive back in the NFL for 11 seasons, dies at the age of 90. Thomas played college football at Oklahoma and won back-to-back National Championships with the Sooners in 1955 and 1956. He was selected in the second round of the 1958 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. He played for the Rams from 1958-1961 as well as the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1962-1968. Thomas was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011. (Obituary) January 29,2026 – Scott Laidlaw, a running back in the NFL for six seasons, dies at the age of 72. Laidlaw played college football at Stanford and was selected in the 14th round of the 1975 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He played for the Cowboys from 1975-1979 and won Super Bowl XII (12) with the team. He finished his playing career with the New York Giants in 1980. |