Gary Roger Lewis (February 22, 1942 – December 12, 1986) was an American professional football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played seven seasons for the San Francisco 49ers from 1964 to 1969 and New Orleans Saints in 1970.
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| Position: | FB/RB | ||||||||
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| Born: | February 22, 1942 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | December 12, 1986 (aged 44) | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | San Francisco (CA) Poly | ||||||||
| College: | Arizona State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1964 / round: 6 / pick: 71 | ||||||||
| AFL draft: | 1964 / round: 22 / pick: 169 | ||||||||
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Lewis was one of three 1964 San Francisco 49ers teammates who died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a rare ailment with an incidence estimated at 1 per 50,000 individuals in the general population.[1] Others 49ers stricken by the disease included contemporaries Bob Waters and Matt Hazeltine and — a generation later — wide receiver Dwight Clark.[1]
Studies have been done examining the use of DMSO, painkillers, and the fertilizer used on the 49ers practice field in Redwood City, California in an effort to isolate a potential chemical connection.[1] A possible connection between the disease and mild traumatic brain injury (concussion) is a matter of ongoing study.[2]
Notes
edit- ^ a b c Matt Maiocco, "One of the Great Mysteries: Clark's ALS Diagnosis Recalls Three 49ers from 1960s," NBC Sports, May 9, 2017.
- ^ Colin K. Franz, et al., "Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: From Bedside to Bench," Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol. 122, Sept. 1, 2019, pp. 1174–1185.
External links
edit- Fimrite, Ron (August 24, 1987). "The Battle of His Life: Bob Waters is Looking for Answers to a Deadly Illness Afflicting Former 49ers". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
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