Despite Webster's late start, he quickly learned how to command the offensive line and earned a football scholarship. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974, he played for 17 seasons, 15 with the Steelers. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. In 1997, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and in 2000 he was named to the National Football League's all-time team. Webster was portrayed by David Morse and Dr. Bennet Omalu was portrayed by Will Smith. Webster is seen as an example of the difficulties American football players suffer when their careers are over. In its March 2003 issue, Reader's Digest wrote about Webster's shattered life. . That morning, on a stainless steel autopsy table inside the Allegheny County coroner's office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, lay the body of Mike Webster, the legendary center of the Pittsburgh . A traumatic brain injury occurs every 15 seconds. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Hed do it 10 or 20 times to relax., Webster was prescribed Ritalin to control his mood swings, but in 1999, shortly after his regular doctor moved away, the athlete was arrested for forging Ritalin prescriptions. Literary and Cultural Heritage Map of PA. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Late Steelers great Webster's case launched the CTE brain debate, "The Life And Career Of Mike Webster (Story)", "Before 'Concussion': An Inside Glimpse of NFL Player Mike Webster's Utterly Tragic Final Days", Reflections in Iron: Mike Websters Training Methods, People: Pro Football; Webster Retires https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/12/sports/sports-people-pro-football-webster-retires.htmlhttps://www.profootballhistory.com/mike-webster/Sports People: Pro Football; Webster Retires, "Ben Roethlisberger breaks Mike Webster's record for most games played with Steelers", Mike Webster, 50, Dies; Troubled Football Hall of Famer, Mike Webster autopsy 'one of the most significant moments in the history of sports', "Researchers: Late NFL player had degenerative brain condition - ESPN", "Game Brain: Football Players and Concussions", "Former Steeler's Family Wins Disability Ruling", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mike_Webster&oldid=1142356025, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 23:35. [15][16][17], Webster was cremated and his ashes were returned to his wife and their four children. League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis, Aaron Hernandez Found To Have Had "Severe" Case of CTE, NFL Acknowledges a Link Between Football, CTE, What the NFL's New Concussion Numbers Don't Answer, From the Archives: How the World's Deadliest Ebola Outbreak Unfolded, Russias Invasion of Ukraine, One Year Later, War Crimes Watch Ukraine: More Than 650 Documented Events, From the Archives: How the U.N. & World Failed Darfur Amid "the 21st Century's First Genocide". He didnt watch the games, he didnt know the teams, and he certainly didnt know the name Mike Webster. Nicknamed "Iron Mike," Webster had struggled in his retirement from football. What Is Frontotemporal Dementia? We all worked hard, but none as hard as Mike did. Professional Football Player. Everybody gets hurt in football, he says, but very few players get hurt permanently. [22], Nicknamed "Iron Mike", Webster's reputation for durability led him to play even through injuries. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Jets: Everything you need to know, Ryan Clark thinks Steelers will make the playoffs, Steelers Injury Report: Markus Wheaton out for Week 6 vs. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Just acknowledge it and say, how can we prevent this stuff from happening again? Mike was also on the sidelines at every game. Of the 22 players who were part of all four Steeler Super Bowl teams, Webster was the last to leave and the first to die. In private, the message seemed different. And why it wasnt stopped sooner. Almost half of the injuries involve a childs head, face, mouth or eyes. He earned $16,000 in his first season, $400,000 in his last. His story, however, isnt just a cautionary tale about gridiron injuries. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. Learn more about managing a memorial . [6]This ended in 1986 when he dislocated his elbow, causing him to sit out for four games. Everybody noticed that with Dad. Up to 86% of athletes that suffer a concussion will experience Post-Traumatic Migraine or some other type of headache pain. In October 1999, Webster was awarded an NFL disability for traumatic brain injury. High school athletes who sustain a concussion are three times more likely to sustain a second concussion. Elected to football Hall of Fame in 1997, his 2nd year of elgibility. I remember my dads last game at Pittsburgh. In public, league doctors assailed his research. Webster's doctors said that the concussions Webster had in his career had indeed damaged his frontal lobe, causing cognitive dysfunction, and that his attention span and concentration had been affected. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Nicknamed "Iron Mike", Webster anchored the Steelers' offensive line during much of their run of four Super Bowl victories from 1974 to 1979 and is considered by some as the best center in NFL history. At the time of his retirement, he had played more seasons as a Steeler than anyone else in franchise history (15 seasons), one season ahead of Terry Bradshaw and Hines Ward. The condition, known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, was the first hard evidence that playing football could cause permanent brain damage. Michael Lewis Webster (March 18, 1952 September 24, 2002) was an American football player who played center in the National Football League from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Thanks for your help! An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. He played 17 years in the NFL, some said it was a few years too many, especially the final ones with the Kansas City Chiefs. An ESPN series documented Webster missing his son's 10th birthday after taking a cocktail of narcotics; repeatedly stunning himself to sleep with a Taser gun; screaming at strangers at the Amtrak. ''You only fail if you don't finish the game,'' he said. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. All these guys were talking at the funeral about maybe they should get checkups, says Franco Harris. The head is involved in more baseball injuries than any other body part. [citation needed] From 1964 to 2020, just five men started at that position: Mansfield, Webster, Dermontti Dawson, Jeff Hartings, and Maurkice Pouncey, with the only exceptions being injuries as well as a three year period between 2007 and 2009 when the center position alternated between journeymen Sean Mahan and Justin Hartwig. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Mike was a guy you could always count on., [pullquote] Year after year, Webster slammed into much bigger players, their helmets crashing into his like battering rams, their forearms pounding his head. [citation needed]. Websters finances remain a muddle, but from conversations with his family and lawyers, it appears he poured most of his savings into investments that went bad. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. That stuff gets passed on through the grapevine. And he had such a soft spot for children. The couple married shortly after the Steelers drafted him in the fifth round in 1974, and eventually had four children: Brooke, now 26, sons Colin and Garrett24 and 19and Hillary, 15. B ennet Omalu, a Nigeria-born neuropathologist, first discovered chronic encephalopathy (CTE) in an NFL player when he saw the debilitating disease in the brain of Mike Webster, the Hall of. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. They eventually cost him his marriage. Webster was a pivotal player on the standout Steeler teams that captured four Super Bowl championships in the 1970's. Hed cut off his sleeves in the freezing cold, zero degrees, to intimidate the other teams, Rooney says with a grin. We said that stuffs in the past. Please reset your password. But Webster's transition to post-football life was filled with setbacks. Football had taken a punishing toll on his body. It was Omalus job to measure the damage. Ive been in 350,000 car accidents, Mike replied. Pittsburgh Steeler center Mike Webster was the first NFL player Omalu autopsied. My dad played 17 years and we did eventually win our pension suit. But doctors say he suffered multiple concussions, among his many other injuries, on his way to gridiron glory. A lot of people forget this started out as a discussion and examination of the NFLs retirement policy and how almost impossible it was to get the benefits. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Michael Allen Webster (Knoxville, Tennessee), who passed away on February 24, 2023, at the age of 65, leaving to mourn family and friends. Michael Lewis Webster (March 18, 1952 - September 24, 2002) was an American football player who played center in the National Football League from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. According to a recently published book, "League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions, and the Battle for Truth," the autopsy on Mike Webster, who died at age 50 after a heart attack, revealed chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. He was my hero, says Jani, who owns a grocery store and sports-memorabilia shop. So Webster launched a single-minded coaching clinic. Mike Webster's brain sat for two weeks in a white plastic bucket of formaldehyde at the morgue. It hurt him. Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8945061/mike-webster. It was a psychological blow on top of all the physical and mental issues he was going through.. Then they were talking about how theyve gotten that by not giving pensions out. [citation needed], Webster became a free agent following the 1988 season. We recommend our users to update the browser. Pam Webster had to take a job as a waitress to support her family, and the couple ultimately divorced, shortly before Mike's death at age 50. Our piece addressed the role that the thousands of concussions Webster sustained during his football career affected his brain and contributed to his death in 2002 at age 50. Effects of concussion are cumulative in athletes who return to play prior to complete recovery. I had some things to think through. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Mike Iron Mike Webster I found on Findagrave.com. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Please help us to continue bringing the stories that no one else is reporting by making a small contribution toward our operating costs. The Steelers young guard hasnt been great, but he deserves another chance in 2023. boxers, very old people with Alzheimer's disease, Steelers vs. Add to your scrapbook. In the aftermath of the settlement, Webster found that the franchise his father gave his life to enrich, the Steelers, treated him with indifference if not contempt. His wife Pamela stated years later that she felt that she caused Webster's change in personality in the years before his death and placed guilt on herself over her decision to divorce Webster, until discovering after his death about the CTE diagnosis. As a Steeler, he played in nine Pro Bowl games and 245 N.F.L. His youngest child, Hillary, who was living in Wisconsin with her mother, says that in recent years, My father called me every night. But his two sons, who lived with him at different times, saw a more tortured side. But Webster refused his panicked sons entreaties to go to a hospital, in part because he didnt have insurance. He was a union rep for a long time. One of the best silver linings in the course of the situation has been the community of families that either are enduring or have endured similar circumstances that the Websters are part of. Its essential to remind ourselves that behind those figures and words are families and personal stories. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He experienced fits of rage and confusion, drained his assets, and even went through a period of homelessness. Colin remembers that his father was shaking so much from his condition that his desperate solution was to buy a police Taser gun. He also relished his indestructible image. Court documents arent free, and you can be a difference-maker by helping us to meet the expenses necessary to remain ad-free and provide the coverage youve come to expect over the past three years. Why does the NFLPA Want to Stop Leaping Field Goal Blocks? Omalu's findings were largely ignored by the NFL until Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was diagnosed with CTE shortly after his death in 2009. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. He preferred it if people didnt recognize him., The last year of Websters life brought new woes: His divorce became final, his health worsened and his finances collapsed again. They have their competitive streaks. But we did get it for him., Midway through our interview, Rooney jumps up and strides out into the hallway to give a warm Welcome back, how are you? to Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox. Three days earlier Maddox had suffered such a serious concussion during a game that he was temporarily paralyzed. Advocacy for Fairness in Sports is a nonprofit dedicated to investigative sports journalism. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. The family of late football great Mike Webster has been shut out of settlement money. Lets focus on the positive, on how these things can never happen again.