Death of a Tiger

We rarely know what goes on inside the minds of the athletes we watch on the playing field. We don't know their aspirations or their demons.

Along with tens of thousands of other people, I watched Tiger fullback Ernest Blackwell run a play that I equated with him. In a two-back set, he would take a quick hit from the QB, bolt through a hole directly in front of him, and sprint, with 4.4 speed, untouched to the endzone.

On August 11th of this year, Ernest Blackwell died. It's a very sad tale that is told well in this Kansas City Star article.