Former Steelers defensive lineman Gabe Rivera, whose career was cut short after an auto accident paralyzed him in 1983, died Monday night in Texas. He was 57.
According to the KENS 5, a CBS affiliate in San Antonio, Rivera became ill Friday night and was taken to the hospital. Doctors diagnosed him with a perforated bowel and perforated colon and told his wife, Nancy, they could not operate because he wouldn’t have been able to withstand an operation.
Rivera, known as Senior Sack during his standout college career at Texas Tech, was the No. 21 overall selection in the 1983 draft.