Dennis Wirgowski Explained

Position:	Defensive end
Number:	70, 75, 85
Birth Date:	20 September 1947
Birth Place:	Bay City, Michigan, U.S.
Death Place:	Kawkawlin, Michigan, U.S.
Height Ft:	6
Weight Lb:	257
Height In:	5
Draftyear:	1970
Draftround:	9
Draftpick:	212
High School:	Bay City (MI) Central
College:	Purdue
Pastteams:	Boston/New England Patriots Philadelphia Eagles
Statlabel1:	Games played
Statvalue1:	50
Statlabel2:	Interceptions
Statvalue2:	1
Pfr:	WirgDe20

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 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]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Obituary:Dennis "Nuts" Wirgowski. ObitMichigan.com. January 30, 2014.
2. Web site: Dennis Wirgowski, Bay City football star who played in NFL, dies at 66. January 28, 2014. mlive.com. January 30, 2014.
3. Web site: Boyd . Brandon . DENNIS WIRGOWSKI . Concussion Foundation . 2 February 2021.
4. News: The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) . Concussion Legacy Foundation . July 2, 2023 . July 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230702123543/https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts . dead .
5. News: Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller . 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. . . June 20, 2023 . July 2, 2023 .