Dennis Wirgowski

Dennis Wirgowski (September 20, 1947 – January 25, 2014) was an American football player who played defensive end. He played high school football at Bay City High School and college football at Purdue University. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Boston Patriots (later the New England Patriots) and the Philadelphia Eagles.^[1][2]

Dennis Wirgowski

No. 70, 75, 85
Position:	Defensive end
Personal information
Born:	(1947-09-20)September 20, 1947 Bay City, Michigan, U.S.
Died:	January 25, 2014(2014-01-25) (aged 66) Kawkawlin, Michigan, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:	257 lb (117 kg)
Career information
High school:	Bay City (MI) Central
College:	Purdue
NFL draft:	1970 / round: 9 / pick: 212
Career history
Boston/New England Patriots (1970–1972) Philadelphia Eagles (1973)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 50 Interceptions: 1 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Dennis was diagnosed with Stage 2-3 Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy at the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank.^[3] He is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with this disease, which is caused by repeated hits to the head.^[4][5]

References

1. "Obituary:Dennis "Nuts" Wirgowski". ObitMichigan.com. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
2. "Dennis Wirgowski, Bay City football star who played in NFL, dies at 66". mlive.com. January 28, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
3. Boyd, Brandon. "DENNIS WIRGOWSKI". Concussion Foundation. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
4. "The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)". Concussion Legacy Foundation. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
5. Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller (June 20, 2023). "Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2023.