This guy died as a Ram

[talkoffametwo.com]

State Your Case: Why Gene Brito Was Everyone's Favorite



To his surprise, Washington finally relented and traded him to the Rams, where he could keep his teaching job and play football.

His dream realized, Brito told the media he wanted to play forever.

In his first season with L.A., he broke an ankle and missed all but two games. But when he returned in 1960, he was a second-team All-Pro (UPI) and would've been a candidate for Comeback Player of the Year, had that award existed.

But forever was too short for the gallant man.

In 1961, his world collapsed. Without warning, he developed a muscular disease that robbed him of his strength and, eventually, his life. Complaining of weakness in preseason play, he said he couldn't get off the ball and just didn't have "it." After a battery of doctor's tests, he was diagnosed with an ALS-type disease which acted quickly, paralyzing his legs and partially his arms within weeks.

Within six months, he was placed in an iron lung, with a dire prognosis. Death seemed imminent, and Catholic last rites were administered. But the disease mysteriously eased over the next year, and Brito's partial recovery became a national news story.

"Your courage is now an inspiration to all men and all nations," President Kennedy said in a telegram.

Alas, the reprieve didn't last. By 1965, Gene Brito was gone, leaving behind a glowing legacy as a pro football player and an individual.