Thomas Herrion
 Herrion with the Utah Utes in 2013 | |
| No. 76 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | December 15, 1981 Fort Worth, Texas |
| Died: | August 20, 2005 (aged 23) Denver, Colorado |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight: | 310 lb (141 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Polytechnic High School (Fort Worth, Texas) |
| College: | Utah |
| Undrafted: | 2004 |
| Career history | |
Thomas Herrion (December 15, 1981 – August 20, 2005) was an American football offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers. He also was a member of the Hamburg Sea Devils in NFL Europe. He played college football at the University of Utah.
Early years
Herrion attended Polytechnic High School. He played college football first at Kilgore College in 2001 under head coach Jimmy Rieves at the junior college level.
As a junior, he transferred to the University of Utah, where he blocked for future San Francisco 49ers teammate and number one draft pick quarterback Alex Smith.
As a senior, he played under new head coach Urban Meyer. He started all 12 games at left guard and received honorable-mention All-MWC. He contributed to the team's Mountain West Conference and Liberty Bowl champion team. He finished his college career after appearing in a total of 22 games.
Professional career
Herrion was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers after the 2004 NFL Draft. He was signed to a reserve/futures contract with the 49ers on January 5, 2005 and spent one season playing in NFL Europe with the Hamburg Sea Devils.
Death
Shortly after an exhibition game against the Denver Broncos on August 20, 2005, Herrion collapsed in the locker room and was transported to St. Anthony’s Central Hospital in Denver where he was pronounced dead. The cause of death was later determined to be ischaemic heart disease, or (according to a subsequent examination of the autopsy report) hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.[1][2]
He was considered to be the NFL's fourth football-related death after St. Louis Cardinals tight end J.V. Cain had a fatal heart attack during training camp in 1979, Detroit Lions wide receiver Chuck Hughes died of a heart attack in a 1971 game against the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Korey Stringer died of heatstroke in 2001.[3]
On September 2, 2005, the 49ers established the Thomas Herrion Memorial Award, which will be given to the player who best exemplifies his spirit.[4]
Personal life
On the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, former 49er coach Mike Nolan commended Herrion for being "musical". He was a musician who played the drums in his church band.[5]
References
- ^ "Herrion made fast friends with personality, wit". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- ^ "When Sudden Death Strikes Athletes". NPR.org. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- ^ "THOMAS HERRION: 1981-2005 / His final minutes / Herrion walked off field and collapsed during prayer". sfgate.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- ^ "49ers Announce 2020 Team Awards". www.49ers.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
- ^ "Thomas Herrion Obituary on Legacy.com". Legacy.com. Retrieved June 15, 2022.