  Thebadguy Member Username: Thebadguy Post Number: 1 Registered: 11-2007 |
I am a freelance writer in the process of researching what I expect will one day be a biography of Chuck Hughes, a former professional football player with the Philadelphia Eagles (1967-'69) and Detroit Lions (1970-'71). As many here are probably aware, Mr. Hughes, while playing for the Lions, collapsed and died on the field of Tiger Stadium during the final moments of a game against the Chicago Bears on October 24, 1971. A couple of years back, I decided the time had long since passed to find out more about Mr. Hughes and have spent the last two years researching his life and death. To this point, I have completed more than 150 interviews - Alex Karras, Lem Barney, Joe Schmidt, Chuck Knox, Kent Falb, Rockne Freitas, Greg Landry, Wayne Walker, Ed Flanagan, Charlie Sanders, Wayne Rasmussen, Errol Mann, Tom Vaughn, Nick Eddy, Greg Barton, Bob Kowalkowski, Herman Weaver, Steve Owens, Terry Miller, Bill Cottrell, Larry Hand and John Wright, among the most notable Lions on that list. I have also had conversations with former Lions' public relations executive Elliott Trumbull and former Detroit News sportswriter Jerry Green. (I am still trying to get an interview with William Clay Ford, Sr., although I have my doubts that will actually happen.) During a conversation with Steve Sabol a few months back, an idea was planted in my head that I realize now I need 'special help' with to complete. Mr. Sabol and his staff in New Jersey have been extremely helpful and provided me all their footage shot that altogether horrible day (most of which has never been made public or viewed by anyone outside their organization). One of the things I am always struck by as I review these images are the expressions on the faces in the crowd as Mr. Hughes is rushed from the playing field. It's a tapestry of confusion, anguish and despair. If at all possible, before too much more time passes, I would like to document some of that. That being said, one of the perspectives I've been thinking about trying to add to this manuscript are the recollections of 'every-day' fans - perhaps a dozen or so - who were in Tiger Stadium that day and witnessed this event first-hand. I attempted to enlist the help of Mike O'Hara of the Detroit News in this endeavor – perhaps mentioning this project in one of his 'Behind The Scenes' columns – but his disinterest in taking part was overwhelming. (I didn't even bother trying the Free Press, figuring their response would be similar.) That is why I am here today. Long story short: perhaps someone who posts on these boards was in Tiger Stadium the day Chuck Hughes died - or knows of someone who was there. If so, I would love to hear their story for possible inclusion in my book. (Of course, I would have to be certain of their attendance at the game.) So, please ... if you were at the game, or you know someone who was, please let me know. I obviously can't guarantee anything - but I would certainly like to include some of these stories in my manuscript. Thank you, in advance ... | ||
Jrvass Member Username: Jrvass Post Number: 331 Registered: 01-2007 |
I remember seeing the game on TV as a 9-yr-old. But that's not what you want. I would try Mitch Albom at WJR.COM or the Free Press. He has a weekday radio show from 5-7pm and he might be interested in helping you as a fellow sports author. Maybe do an interview segment about your research on the radio and help you reach more resources quickly. Hope this helps. | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 1706 Registered: 03-2006 |
i know a female forumer was at the gane | ||
Gary Member Username: Gary Post Number: 264 Registered: 02-2004 |
Thebadguy...This sounds like a great project. Just curious, but have you been able to contact any of the Bears players who were on the field that day? As I recall, when Hughes went down, Dick Butkus was seen frantically trying to signal the Lions' sidelines in an effort to alert someone that Hughes was in very bad trouble and needed medical help right away. I'm sure this tragedy effected the Bears just as much as it did the Lions. Good luck with this project, I'll be looking forward to the final product. | ||
Thebadguy Member Username: Thebadguy Post Number: 2 Registered: 11-2007 |
Thanks for following up, y'all. I appreciate it. Jrvass: that's an interesting perspective. I, too, was a nine-year-old kid watching the game on TV. Except, I was in Iowa and (I assume) you were somewhere in Michigan. As far as Albom ... I might try that at some point. I get the feeling he'd be about as warm and cuddly as O'Hara was with me. If I get desperate enough ... I might place a call or two. Chitaku: I would be very interested in speaking with that individual. If you have the opportunity, please pass along my E-mail address to that individual - I'd love to hear from her. The address is: JeffHaag@mcleodusa.net. Gary: I have, indeed, talked to several former Bears, including Doug Buffone, Gary Lyle, Ross Brubacher, Kent Nix and Bob Wallace (who was a college teammate of Chuck Hughes) to name a few. Butkus? It was conveyed to me, through Butkus' lawyer, that he (Butkus) has said all he intends to, publicly, about Chuck Hughes' death. There's an interesting caveat regarding Butkus' involvement in this situation, though, one that I intend to discuss in the book. He has an interesting history with it. (I am hoping to have this book available by the late summer of 2009, btw.) | ||
Gary Member Username: Gary Post Number: 265 Registered: 02-2004 |
Thebadguy...that sounds "intriguing" re: Butkus' attitude. I based my comments about his apparent concern for Hughes on my rather foggy recollection of a Detroit newspaper account of the incident at the time it happened. It sounds like Mr. Butkus wasn't exactly overcome with sympathy after all. What a surprise. | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 1709 Registered: 03-2006 |
i cant remember exactly who was at the game, check one of the tiger stadium threads | ||
Ookpik Member Username: Ookpik Post Number: 353 Registered: 01-2007 |
You might want to contact Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press and/or Pat Caputo of the Oakland Press. Both are now sports writers and if I recall correctly, one or both were at the game. Granted, they would have been young at the time. Ookpik | ||
Kenp Member Username: Kenp Post Number: 892 Registered: 03-2006 |
One person I remember being at the game was forumer, Kathleen. She is a good source of info. Go to the "connect" area and send her a message. | ||
Thebadguy Member Username: Thebadguy Post Number: 3 Registered: 11-2007 |
Gary: ***It sounds like Mr. Butkus wasn't exactly overcome with sympathy after all.*** I actually do believe Butkus was deeply impacted by Chuck's death. I don't have any doubt about it. All the remaining members of Chuck's family have told me about his sympathetic attitude at both the memorial service at St. Aloysius church on Washington Boulevard and then Chuck's funeral in San Antonio. What I'm hinting at occurred many years later - an incident that really infuriated the family. Don't want to go into too much detail right at the moment. ;-) Chitaku and Kenp: Thank you for the tips - I will follow up. Ookpik: My experience with O'Hara left me with a rather bitter taste in my mouth regarding Detroit's sportswriters. That being said, though, I will send E-mails to Sharp and Caputo. Perhaps their attitudes will be different. Thank you for the advice ... | ||
Gary Member Username: Gary Post Number: 266 Registered: 02-2004 |
Thebadguy...thanks for the clarification. I did a Google search on incident and every source I looked at confirmed that DB was very concerned for Hughes. Guess I shouldn't be so quick to try and read between the lines. I'll shut up now and wait for the book to come out to learn the rest of the story. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 2030 Registered: 11-2003 |
I believe that the Hughes tragedy was the subject matter of a previous thread on the Forum. I recall posting on it. I was at that game, sitting in the "Coaches Corner". What I recall most is the complete silence that came over the stadium when he collapsed on the field and watching the efforts to revive him and then Hughes being carried off the field. Complete silence. And after the game was over, we walked out of the stadium,and the same thing---silence, just speaking in low tones, a completely hushed crowd. An eerie feeling. I believe the Lions lost the game that afternoon, but the results were irrelevant. Little known fact: Hughes' widow later sued the Detroit Lions as well as Henry Ford Hospital and team physician, Dr. Edwin Guise. That litigation just tore Guise apart. I believe the case was settled short of actual trial. | ||
Thebadguy Member Username: Thebadguy Post Number: 6 Registered: 11-2007 |
The_rock: Please drop me a line at JeffHaag@mcleodusa.net. Would love to talk to you in more detail. Thanks for responding! Oh ... it sounds like you know your way around here a bit better than I do. Would it be possible for you to re-locate the Chuck Hughes thread you were referring to? I'd love to read the responses. Btw ... actually, Sharon Hughes sued Henry Ford Hospital - and three unnamed physicians - for malpractice. I'll talk about the exact details in the book. It has almost nothing to do with the events of the day Chuck Hughes died. Anyway, Guise was initially involved in the lawsuit - but was dropped from the case not long after. What actually proved to devastate Guise was the death of his teenage daughter in an automobile accident about three months after Chuck Hughes' death. | ||
Sharms Member Username: Sharms Post Number: 29 Registered: 07-2007 |
I was at the game sitting in the third deck in what would be right field for baseball. As I recall it was very close to the end of the game when Hughes went down. My impression, at the time, was the Butkus' immediate thought was that Hughes was trying to get a time out by feigning injury. He was standing over Hughes and then started frantically signaling the Detroit bench that Hughes needed help. As I recall, and my impressions might not be totally accurate, the trainers and others were around Hughes and a person, I assume a doctor, came running from the dugout area across the field. They worked on Hughes for a number of minutes and then put him on a stretcher. The stadium was hushed and eerie as he was taken off the field. There was a moment when his arm fell to the side and you could hear a gasp from the crowd. The players went through the motions to end the game and, at one point, you could hear the siren from the ambulance in the distance. A bad day. | ||
Thebadguy Member Username: Thebadguy Post Number: 8 Registered: 11-2007 |
Sharms ... thank you for responding. I would love to talk to you about your recollections (which are all extremely accurate. The only thing I would correct is that Dr. Eugene Boyle - who passed away only a few years ago - emerged from the upper deck at Tiger Stadium on the Cochran side and made his way down to the field from there to assist Drs. Guise and Thompson, and Lions trainers Kent Falb and Gary Tuthill. Sadly, only Kent is still with us. I've talked to Dr. Boyle's son in great detail about that day. Also, it's interesting your memory of hearing the ambulance. The official play-by-play sheet for that game makes note of that fact. Please drop me a line at JeffHaag@mcleodusa.net - we'll chat more! | ||
Patrick Member Username: Patrick Post Number: 5228 Registered: 10-2003 |
Was he born with a heart condition? Did he take a hit earlier in the game? Certainly something triggered it. | ||
Ticub Member Username: Ticub Post Number: 12 Registered: 05-2007 |
I was at the game and sitting in the lower left field corner by the foul pole. About 20 rows from the field and close to where Hughes fell. The Lions were rallying and the next thing I knew was that Hughes was on the ground, and Butkus was waving frantically to the bench. I have always felt that DB knew that Hughes was in serious trouble and that there was no duplicity involved in what was happening. Something serious was going on and immediate medical help was needed. Butkus was the closest person to seeing a man die before his eyes. A hush fell over the stadium and when play was resumed, all the life went out of the Lions, the game and the stadium. We knew that Chuck Hughes was taken to the hospital and tried to get updates as we drove home. The image of Butkus furiously waving for help over Hughes' body will forever be ingrained in my memory. I don't know what else I can add to this sad event. Feel free to contact me, however. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 2039 Registered: 11-2003 |
Every day is a learning day on the Forum. Although I was there that day and have posted about my recollection of this tragedy, I did not know that Dr. Eugene Boyle was also one of the physicians who tried to assist the stricken Chuck Hughes. Gene Boyle was my neighbor and lived right across the street from me for several years in GP, and his son is a partner in a prominent Detroit law firm and former president of the Detroit Bar Association. Small world. | ||
Thebadguy Member Username: Thebadguy Post Number: 9 Registered: 11-2007 |
Patrick: despite being in phenomenal shape (one of the lasting memories most teammates have of Chuck Hughes, going back to his time as a schoolboy athlete in Abilene, Texas, is of his indefatigable stamina), Chuck Hughes had an advanced case of heart disease. He came from a huge family - sixteen children, of which thirteen were living during his adult life - but one that was cursed with a family history of heart disease. Although there were likely extenuating circumstances related to the death of Chuck's father, Thomas Hughes, Sr. died in 1949 at age 44. Chuck's Mother, Jean, was just 52 when she died of a heart attack. He also lost a brother in 1966 at age 36 of conditions which strongly suggest a heart problem. Meanwhile, many of those who survive him to this day have also had heart problems. Ticub - I am new to this arena, so I have no idea how to contact you. I would appreciate it if you would contact me, though, at the following E-mail address: JeffHaag@mcleodusa.net. The_rock can speak to this, since we've now been in touch for several weeks. What you can add to this story is a unique perspective. A man on the street take from someone other than Chuck Hughes' teammates and coaches. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 2046 Registered: 11-2003 |
One of the chaps who attended the game with me ( I should say that I attended the game with him as I believe he was the seasons' ticket holder) is now living in Tucson. We still exchange Christmas cards, and I will try to give him a call for his recollections. Seems to me a third chap in our party was with the Detroit office of the FBI but we have not maintained contact with him. |
