BREAKING NEWS: 49ERS OL Dies After Preseason Game

Offensive Lineman Thomas Herrion Collapses, Dies At 23

DENVER -- San Francisco offensive lineman Thomas Herrion collapsed in the locker room and died Sunday morning, shortly after the 49ers played the Denver Broncos in a preseason game.

Herrion, a 6-foot-3, 310-pound guard, was on the field for San Francisco's 14-play, 91-yard drive that ended with a touchdown with 2 seconds left.

Players had finished listening to coach Mike Nolan address them in a postgame meeting when Herrion collapsed. Medics administered CPR on him and took him to an ambulance that rushed him to a nearby hospital.

About three hours later, 49ers spokesman Aaron Salkin confirmed that Herrion had died. The cause of death was not immediately known.

"This is a colossal tragedy for the 49ers and the entire NFL community,'' Salkin said. "We still do not know all the details. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Herrion family.''

The death comes a little more than four years after offensive lineman Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings died of heatstroke during a training camp practice on a day during which the heat index soared to 110.

Since Stringer's death, NFL teams have increased their efforts to teach players about hydration and how to manage the heat. They have been experimenting with sensors to measure players' core body temperatures, although those by themselves wouldn't be able to prevent a heat-related death.

Temperatures were in the mid-60s with 50 percent humidity Saturday night in Denver, although experts say heatstroke can occur even in cool conditions.

After the game, Nolan said he had no comments about San Francisco's 26-21 loss to the Broncos.

"There are more important things on our mind than the game,'' he said. "Right now, our thoughts and prayers are with Thomas Herrion.''

Shortly after that statement, the Niners got dressed and boarded buses that took them to the Denver airport for their flight back to California.

"We didn't see anything happen,'' Niners defensive lineman Marques Douglas said. "I sat by my locker and prayed for him.''

Herrion, a first-year player with the 49ers, played college ball at Utah and spent part of last season on the San Francisco and Dallas practice squads. He also played this season with the Hamburg Sea Dogs of NFL Europe.

Stringer's death was thought to be the first of its kind in the NFL. In 1979, St. Louis Cardinals tight end J.V. Cain died of a heart attack during training camp. Chuck Hughes, a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, died of a heart attack Oct. 24, 1972, during a game in Detroit against the Chicago Bears.

In April, Arena Football League player Al Lucas of the Los Angeles Avengers died of a spinal-cord injury he endured while making a tackle.

Courtesy ESPN.com

I wouldnt be surprised if this were another heat stroke/heart failure. teams expect the linemen to pack on an unhealthy amount of weight then do 2-a-days which is just ridiculous.

R.I.P. Herrion
FishPicker

Agreed...If you'll notice in the story it says that doctors say that heat stroke can occur even in 60 degree weather...big guys like that can't be pushed that hard day in and day out. Not every person can survive punishment like that.

I had no idea an Arena Football League player died in in-game action, though...VanHalun040604

Yeah, he was hit on a kickoff and he died. Man, that realy sucks though, about the 9er though.

Yea they go to hard on the lineman. If you watch practices the qbs and WRs are just playing a lil bit of pass & catch and the lineman are knocking helmets and pushing eachother over with hard contact. I think they should swap out more lineman because its hard for a big guy to go in there play after play and give 100 % at that weight.Nunamaker

I think they just go too hard period...Did you know you can die from not only insufficient liquid intake, but from over-sufficient liquid intake? There are so many factors at hand in this guy's death. Heat stroke, dehydration, over-hydration, heart failure, etc. This kind of thing can happen to anybody. Football and hockey are the most risky sports out there. Period. Unfortunately, death in sports usually occurs most of the time in those sports. And what's worse, the coaches seem to get dumber and dumber as you go down from pro sports to college and then to high school. Deaths in football and hockey are actually quite common in high school; you hear about them all the time in local and national news. You can only do so much working out in one day before it actually becomes detrimental to your body. Hopefully this won't happen again for a LONG time.

i was watching the Sports Reporters today and they were talking about this. They made a lot of sense about linemen. Linemen and nose tackles are over weight. They are not actual athletes, they are fat people that can move their feet well. When you treat a 300 lbs. person like an athlete you begin to put too much stress on their bodies and their heart just can't take it. Its not surprising that it happens, it surprising it doesn't happen more. A couple decades ago there was only 1 person in the league over 300 lbs. and linemen were under 275. Now pretty much every lineman is over 300 lbs.
loismustdie89

I'm gonna have to disagree...a lot of these lineman--not just the elite--can run unbelieveable 40 times. The kinda times that you would think that no one at that height and size could possibily do. Robert Gallery--RT for the Raiders in his second year--can run a time that rivals some of the speedier LBs and some RBs. They are athletes...like I said, it's medically proven that these guys just can't take that kind of a beating. Lineman are the ones out there the longest; they get action every down. No other player can say that they are engaged to that degree every play of the game. They're overworked throughout the week and then they're expected to block 300 + guys for about 4 hrs....it's more than a lot to ask. The coaches need to be easier on these guys....

[QUOTE="loismustdie89"]i was watching the Sports Reporters today and they were talking about this. They made a lot of sense about linemen. Linemen and nose tackles are over weight. They are not actual athletes, they are fat people that can move their feet well. When you treat a 300 lbs. person like an athlete you begin to put too much stress on their bodies and their heart just can't take it. Its not surprising that it happens, it surprising it doesn't happen more. A couple decades ago there was only 1 person in the league over 300 lbs. and linemen were under 275. Now pretty much every lineman is over 300 lbs.
VanHalun040604

I'm gonna have to disagree...a lot of these lineman--not just the elite--can run unbelieveable 40 times. The kinda times that you would think that no one at that height and size could possibily do. Robert Gallery--RT for the Raiders in his second year--can run a time that rivals some of the speedier LBs and some RBs. They are athletes...like I said, it's medically proven that these guys just can't take that kind of a beating. Lineman are the ones out there the longest; they get action every down. No other player can say that they are engaged to that degree every play of the game. They're overworked throughout the week and then they're expected to block 300 + guys for about 4 hrs....it's more than a lot to ask. The coaches need to be easier on these guys....

Yeah, coaches do work line as hard as WR's and RB's. When I played(center and D-End) we ran as much as the WR's and we did much more contact drill. I'm not 300 pounds but I can see what it would do to overwork these huge men. Lineman ARE THE MOST ATHLETIC players on the football field, cause they have to stop guys that are the same size as them and grabing them, without grabbing them making there job exhausting.

[QUOTE="VanHalun040604"]

[QUOTE="loismustdie89"]i was watching the Sports Reporters today and they were talking about this. They made a lot of sense about linemen. Linemen and nose tackles are over weight. They are not actual athletes, they are fat people that can move their feet well. When you treat a 300 lbs. person like an athlete you begin to put too much stress on their bodies and their heart just can't take it. Its not surprising that it happens, it surprising it doesn't happen more. A couple decades ago there was only 1 person in the league over 300 lbs. and linemen were under 275. Now pretty much every lineman is over 300 lbs.
WhiteSamurai209

I'm gonna have to disagree...a lot of these lineman--not just the elite--can run unbelieveable 40 times. The kinda times that you would think that no one at that height and size could possibily do. Robert Gallery--RT for the Raiders in his second year--can run a time that rivals some of the speedier LBs and some RBs. They are athletes...like I said, it's medically proven that these guys just can't take that kind of a beating. Lineman are the ones out there the longest; they get action every down. No other player can say that they are engaged to that degree every play of the game. They're overworked throughout the week and then they're expected to block 300 + guys for about 4 hrs....it's more than a lot to ask. The coaches need to be easier on these guys....

Yeah, coaches do work line as hard as WR's and RB's. When I played(center and D-End) we ran as much as the WR's and we did much more contact drill. I'm not 300 pounds but I can see what it would do to overwork these huge men. Lineman ARE THE MOST ATHLETIC players on the football field, cause they have to stop guys that are the same size as them and grabing them, without grabbing them making there job exhausting.

[QUOTE="WhiteSamurai209"][QUOTE="VanHalun040604"]

[QUOTE="loismustdie89"]i was watching the Sports Reporters today and they were talking about this. They made a lot of sense about linemen. Linemen and nose tackles are over weight. They are not actual athletes, they are fat people that can move their feet well. When you treat a 300 lbs. person like an athlete you begin to put too much stress on their bodies and their heart just can't take it. Its not surprising that it happens, it surprising it doesn't happen more. A couple decades ago there was only 1 person in the league over 300 lbs. and linemen were under 275. Now pretty much every lineman is over 300 lbs.
eCrime

I'm gonna have to disagree...a lot of these lineman--not just the elite--can run unbelieveable 40 times. The kinda times that you would think that no one at that height and size could possibily do. Robert Gallery--RT for the Raiders in his second year--can run a time that rivals some of the speedier LBs and some RBs. They are athletes...like I said, it's medically proven that these guys just can't take that kind of a beating. Lineman are the ones out there the longest; they get action every down. No other player can say that they are engaged to that degree every play of the game. They're overworked throughout the week and then they're expected to block 300 + guys for about 4 hrs....it's more than a lot to ask. The coaches need to be easier on these guys....

Yeah, coaches do work line as hard as WR's and RB's. When I played(center and D-End) we ran as much as the WR's and we did much more contact drill. I'm not 300 pounds but I can see what it would do to overwork these huge men. Lineman ARE THE MOST ATHLETIC players on the football field, cause they have to stop guys that are the same size as them and grabing them, without grabbing them making there job exhausting.

I was goign to play either linbacker or safty but my back spasms returned and I separated my shoulder, it sucked, I wish I was playing football still, I just love it.

[QUOTE="eCrime"][QUOTE="WhiteSamurai209"][QUOTE="VanHalun040604"]

[QUOTE="loismustdie89"]i was watching the Sports Reporters today and they were talking about this. They made a lot of sense about linemen. Linemen and nose tackles are over weight. They are not actual athletes, they are fat people that can move their feet well. When you treat a 300 lbs. person like an athlete you begin to put too much stress on their bodies and their heart just can't take it. Its not surprising that it happens, it surprising it doesn't happen more. A couple decades ago there was only 1 person in the league over 300 lbs. and linemen were under 275. Now pretty much every lineman is over 300 lbs.
WhiteSamurai209

I'm gonna have to disagree...a lot of these lineman--not just the elite--can run unbelieveable 40 times. The kinda times that you would think that no one at that height and size could possibily do. Robert Gallery--RT for the Raiders in his second year--can run a time that rivals some of the speedier LBs and some RBs. They are athletes...like I said, it's medically proven that these guys just can't take that kind of a beating. Lineman are the ones out there the longest; they get action every down. No other player can say that they are engaged to that degree every play of the game. They're overworked throughout the week and then they're expected to block 300 + guys for about 4 hrs....it's more than a lot to ask. The coaches need to be easier on these guys....

Yeah, coaches do work line as hard as WR's and RB's. When I played(center and D-End) we ran as much as the WR's and we did much more contact drill. I'm not 300 pounds but I can see what it would do to overwork these huge men. Lineman ARE THE MOST ATHLETIC players on the football field, cause they have to stop guys that are the same size as them and grabing them, without grabbing them making there job exhausting.

I was goign to play either linbacker or safty but my back spasms returned and I separated my shoulder, it sucked, I wish I was playing football still, I just love it.

yeah i used to play linebacker/d-end i had to run like crazy for d-end even more than for LB, so i understand where all sides are coming on this

[QUOTE="WhiteSamurai209"][QUOTE="eCrime"][QUOTE="WhiteSamurai209"][QUOTE="VanHalun040604"]

[QUOTE="loismustdie89"]i was watching the Sports Reporters today and they were talking about this. They made a lot of sense about linemen. Linemen and nose tackles are over weight. They are not actual athletes, they are fat people that can move their feet well. When you treat a 300 lbs. person like an athlete you begin to put too much stress on their bodies and their heart just can't take it. Its not surprising that it happens, it surprising it doesn't happen more. A couple decades ago there was only 1 person in the league over 300 lbs. and linemen were under 275. Now pretty much every lineman is over 300 lbs.
ARealChiefsFan

I'm gonna have to disagree...a lot of these lineman--not just the elite--can run unbelieveable 40 times. The kinda times that you would think that no one at that height and size could possibily do. Robert Gallery--RT for the Raiders in his second year--can run a time that rivals some of the speedier LBs and some RBs. They are athletes...like I said, it's medically proven that these guys just can't take that kind of a beating. Lineman are the ones out there the longest; they get action every down. No other player can say that they are engaged to that degree every play of the game. They're overworked throughout the week and then they're expected to block 300 + guys for about 4 hrs....it's more than a lot to ask. The coaches need to be easier on these guys....

Yeah, coaches do work line as hard as WR's and RB's. When I played(center and D-End) we ran as much as the WR's and we did much more contact drill. I'm not 300 pounds but I can see what it would do to overwork these huge men. Lineman ARE THE MOST ATHLETIC players on the football field, cause they have to stop guys that are the same size as them and grabing them, without grabbing them making there job exhausting.

I was goign to play either linbacker or safty but my back spasms returned and I separated my shoulder, it sucked, I wish I was playing football still, I just love it.

yeah i used to play linebacker/d-end i had to run like crazy for d-end even more than for LB, so i understand where all sides are coming on this

<<Played ILB/TE (:lol: Weird combo, huh?)...still own at both positions. I quit cuz the team sucked and I wasn't a fan of the emphasis that was placed on it...HS coaches act like like we played in the pros...I just wanted to have fun and play some football. Anyway, hey Chiefs, congrats on the MOD...I'm one now, too.

[QUOTE="ARealChiefsFan"][QUOTE="WhiteSamurai209"][QUOTE="eCrime"][QUOTE="WhiteSamurai209"][QUOTE="VanHalun040604"]

[QUOTE="loismustdie89"]i was watching the Sports Reporters today and they were talking about this. They made a lot of sense about linemen. Linemen and nose tackles are over weight. They are not actual athletes, they are fat people that can move their feet well. When you treat a 300 lbs. person like an athlete you begin to put too much stress on their bodies and their heart just can't take it. Its not surprising that it happens, it surprising it doesn't happen more. A couple decades ago there was only 1 person in the league over 300 lbs. and linemen were under 275. Now pretty much every lineman is over 300 lbs.
VanHalun040604

I'm gonna have to disagree...a lot of these lineman--not just the elite--can run unbelieveable 40 times. The kinda times that you would think that no one at that height and size could possibily do. Robert Gallery--RT for the Raiders in his second year--can run a time that rivals some of the speedier LBs and some RBs. They are athletes...like I said, it's medically proven that these guys just can't take that kind of a beating. Lineman are the ones out there the longest; they get action every down. No other player can say that they are engaged to that degree every play of the game. They're overworked throughout the week and then they're expected to block 300 + guys for about 4 hrs....it's more than a lot to ask. The coaches need to be easier on these guys....

Yeah, coaches do work line as hard as WR's and RB's. When I played(center and D-End) we ran as much as the WR's and we did much more contact drill. I'm not 300 pounds but I can see what it would do to overwork these huge men. Lineman ARE THE MOST ATHLETIC players on the football field, cause they have to stop guys that are the same size as them and grabing them, without grabbing them making there job exhausting.

I was goign to play either linbacker or safty but my back spasms returned and I separated my shoulder, it sucked, I wish I was playing football still, I just love it.

yeah i used to play linebacker/d-end i had to run like crazy for d-end even more than for LB, so i understand where all sides are coming on this

<

that is a wierd combo, and yeah that's the same reason i quit playing for my HS, i only played in my sophomore year two years ago, i just wanted to hit people and he would keep taking me out when i was doing good to give other people playing time

[QUOTE="VanHalun040604"][QUOTE="ARealChiefsFan"][QUOTE="WhiteSamurai209"][QUOTE="eCrime"][QUOTE="WhiteSamurai209"][QUOTE="VanHalun040604"]

[QUOTE="loismustdie89"]i was watching the Sports Reporters today and they were talking about this. They made a lot of sense about linemen. Linemen and nose tackles are over weight. They are not actual athletes, they are fat people that can move their feet well. When you treat a 300 lbs. person like an athlete you begin to put too much stress on their bodies and their heart just can't take it. Its not surprising that it happens, it surprising it doesn't happen more. A couple decades ago there was only 1 person in the league over 300 lbs. and linemen were under 275. Now pretty much every lineman is over 300 lbs.
ARealChiefsFan

I'm gonna have to disagree...a lot of these lineman--not just the elite--can run unbelieveable 40 times. The kinda times that you would think that no one at that height and size could possibily do. Robert Gallery--RT for the Raiders in his second year--can run a time that rivals some of the speedier LBs and some RBs. They are athletes...like I said, it's medically proven that these guys just can't take that kind of a beating. Lineman are the ones out there the longest; they get action every down. No other player can say that they are engaged to that degree every play of the game. They're overworked throughout the week and then they're expected to block 300 + guys for about 4 hrs....it's more than a lot to ask. The coaches need to be easier on these guys....

Yeah, coaches do work line as hard as WR's and RB's. When I played(center and D-End) we ran as much as the WR's and we did much more contact drill. I'm not 300 pounds but I can see what it would do to overwork these huge men. Lineman ARE THE MOST ATHLETIC players on the football field, cause they have to stop guys that are the same size as them and grabing them, without grabbing them making there job exhausting.

I was goign to play either linbacker or safty but my back spasms returned and I separated my shoulder, it sucked, I wish I was playing football still, I just love it.

yeah i used to play linebacker/d-end i had to run like crazy for d-end even more than for LB, so i understand where all sides are coming on this

<

that is a wierd combo, and yeah that's the same reason i quit playing for my HS, i only played in my sophomore year two years ago, i just wanted to hit people and he would keep taking me out when i was doing good to give other people playing time

The practices were stupid as hell, too...Just scrimmage all day would be good; but we would do all sorts of conditioning crap. I was always like, "Jesus, how much am I making this week for playing on the damn HS footbal team? Maybe we suck because all we ever do is condition." What was worse--and disturbing--the State Champs were doing 'roids. :?

I think the NFL should make linemen more "conditioned," i.e., have a total weight limit on your o-line. If you have one porker, you have to have a bunch of lighter guys, and so on.Lee1255

That add kind of a boxing element to it, which would be very akward IMO.

[QUOTE="Lee1255"]I think the NFL should make linemen more "conditioned," i.e., have a total weight limit on your o-line. If you have one porker, you have to have a bunch of lighter guys, and so on.VanHalun040604

That add kind of a boxing element to it, which would be very akward IMO.

also havinge one huge guy and a bunch of small ones would just be hell, picture going against a 3-4 defense, that's a higher average per player, meaning they would run over the little ones, so no running game, and poor passing stats, not to mention more injuries

[QUOTE="VanHalun040604"]

[QUOTE="Lee1255"]I think the NFL should make linemen more "conditioned," i.e., have a total weight limit on your o-line. If you have one porker, you have to have a bunch of lighter guys, and so on.ARealChiefsFan

That add kind of a boxing element to it, which would be very akward IMO.

also havinge one huge guy and a bunch of small ones would just be hell, picture going against a 3-4 defense, that's a higher average per player, meaning they would run over the little ones, so no running game, and poor passing stats, not to mention more injuries

Agreed...