Dave Sparks

Dave Sparks

Date of birth:	April 28, 1928(1928-04-28)
Place of birth:	Arlington County, Virginia
Date of death:	December 17, 1954(1954-12-17) (aged 26)
Career information
Position(s):	Offensive lineman
College:	South Carolina
NFL Draft:	1951 / Round: 15 / Pick: 173
Organizations
As player:
1951 1954	San Francisco 49ers Washington Redskins
Playing stats at NFL.com

David Walter Sparks (April 28, 1928 – December 17, 1954) was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University of South Carolina and was drafted in the fifteenth round of the 1951 NFL Draft.

Death

In 1954, Sparks died from a heart attack at age 26 during his career with the Washington Redskins. He became one of the few athletes to die while playing in a professional sport.