Tracy Scroggins, a former University of Tulsa football player, has died at the age of 56. When announcing his death Monday, his family alleged he suffered from the effects of a brain disease.
Scroggins was taken in the second-round of the 1992 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. He spent every season of his decade-long NFL career in the Motor City, playing both linebacker and defensive end. During his professional career, he recorded 321 tackles and 60.5 sacks, while forcing eight fumbles.
He ranks third on the Lions’ list of career sack leaders.
After recording three sacks in a 32-10 Lions victory over the Indianapolis Colts in 1997, Scroggins was praised for his competitiveness by teammate Luther Elliss.
“We knew Trace could get it done; we’ve seen it in practice,” Elliss said. “Ask anybody – if Trace gets on a roll, he’s not going to be stopped.”
A native of Checotah, Okla., Scroggins was a multisport standout in high school. On the offensive side of the gridiron, Scroggins rushed for 3,500 yards and scored 35 touchdowns across three seasons.
After a stint at Coffeyville Community College playing fullback, Scroggins transferred to the University of Tulsa, where coach Dave Rader moved him to the defensive side of the ball. In 1991, he was one of eight future NFL players on a Golden Hurricane team that finished ranked 21st in the final Associated Press poll. That squad was one of only five teams in program history to finish with 10 wins, and capped off the season by defeating the San Diego State Aztecs and future NFL MVP Marshall Faulk in the Freedom Bowl.
“Tracy was by far the hardest working and intelligent player I ever coached,” Rader told The Eufaula Indian Journal in 2019. “He may not have been the most athletic, but he made up for that with his work ethic.”
In a statement to TMZ on Monday, Scroggins’ family claimed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, also known as CTE.
“Playing in the NFL gave Tracy the opportunity to pursue his lifelong dream and to rise from poverty,” the statement said. “However, unfortunately, the NFL was also ultimately the cause of his untimely demise. Tracy spent every moment of retirement courageously battling the devastating effects of CTE. While our hearts are heavy, we find comfort in knowing that he is finally at peace.”
CTE is often associated with athletes in full-contact sports, and is linked to recurring concussions and hits to the head. The condition can only be diagnosed after death with an examination of the brain during an autopsy.
Scroggins filed a $5 million lawsuit against the NFL in 2016, alleging the league concealed the risks of head trauma in the sport.
In an interview with The Detroit News that year, Scroggins said he suffered from insomnia, psychological issues and avoidance of social situations as a result from hits he took during his playing days.
“I don’t have any regrets,” he said of his career at the time. “I think things happen, sometimes for a reason. But if I had the knowledge that players today have, I think that probably my career would’ve been five years shorter than it was.”
Scroggins voluntarily dismissed his lawsuit in 2018.
Services for Scroggins will be held on Feb. 27 in Checotah.
