O.J. Brigance, who has died after a 19-year battle with ALS, always will be associated with Baltimore, where he won a Super Bowl and was an inspiration to Ravens Hall of Famers Ed Reed and Ray Lewis.
But his pathway into the NFL started in 1996 with a four-year stint with the Miami Dolphins.
That door to his seven-year NFL playing career was opened by Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson. One of Johnson’s earliest moves was to release another linebacker, Aubrey Beavers, a second-round pick only two years earlier, to give more playing time to Brigance and a rookie named Zach Thomas. It was a bold move, considering that Brigance went undrafted out of Rice and spent multiple seasons in the Canadian Football League.
In May 1996, Brigance contacted Bob Ackles, the Dolphins’ director of football operations, who had connections to one of Brigance’s ex-coaches, Don Matthews.
“I knew coach Johnson appreciated guys who just went out and played,” Brigance once told The Palm Beach Post. “I knew size wasn’t such a big thing.”
Johnson apparently didn’t need to have his arm twisted.
“He slipped through our fingers in Dallas,” Johnson said. “We’re looking for linebackers who are going to be active. And he’s a very intelligent player.”
Brigance’s last season with the Dolphins came in 1999 despite a scare that spring. Brigance was injured in May minicamp. When his condition worsened to the point that he could not walk, the Dolphins ordered an MRI that revealed stenosis, a narrowing of his spinal column, and a herniated disk. Doctors warned his career could be over, yet when they operated on him in June, they found no stenosis and only mild disk damage.
“Through Jesus Christ I can overcome the world,” Brigance said.
O.J. Brigance wins Super Bowl ring lone season with Ravens
Brigance spent only the 2000 season with Baltimore yet won a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens, even making the tackle on the opening kickoff of the title game. After finishing his career in 2002, he joined the Ravens’ front office in player engagement and became a beloved fixture during his public battle with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), often called Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Brigance was confined to a motorized wheelchair and eventually lost his ability to speak but communicated via eye-tracking technology.
Brigance was 37 when diagnosed with ALS and although he was given perhaps five years to live, he was 56 when he died.
His courage was such that Reed, giving his Hall of Fame acceptance speech in 2019, said to Brigance, “You’re the reason why I’m here, man. You’re the reason I became a great professional.”
Lewis called Brigance his greatest motivation.
There was irony in Brigance finding the home he did in Baltimore. Before joining the Dolphins, he spent two seasons with the Baltimore Stallions, losing the Grey Cup the first season but beating Doug Flutie and the Calgary Stampeders his second season, when he was named All-CFL and had 10 tackles and a blocked punt in the championship game.
Problem was, Baltimore’s attention at the time was elsewhere. The city, which had lost the Colts, was getting the Cleveland Browns via franchise relocation.
“We’re making the run for the Grey Cup, we’re in the Southern Division championship game, and they make an announcement that the Browns are coming,” Brigance said. “It just seemed like everything about the Stallions was dropped. But they’re great people there, great fans.”
After that Grey Cup, the Ravens asked Brigance to work out for them. For reasons that are unclear, things didn’t work out (not before a stop in South Florida, anyway).
“We are devastated by the awful news that we have lost O.J. Brigance,” Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said in a statement. “O.J. was a beloved legend, mentor and man to everyone who was fortunate enough to know him. His infectious smile and the inspirational way he lived and played endeared him to everyone he touched, both inside our building and across this city. This is a tremendously sad day for Baltimore.”
Hal Habib covers the Miami Dolphins for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at HHabib@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: O.J. Brigance, who died at 56 of ALS, began NFL career with Dolphins
Reporting by Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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By Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
