 Hillc. 1965 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 36 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Fullback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1940-08-17)August 17, 1940 Quincy, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | December 14, 1965(1965-12-14) (aged 25) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Carter-Parramore (Quincy) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Southern | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1964: undrafted | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| Career AFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Mack Lee Hill (August 17, 1940 – December 14, 1965) was an American professionalfootballfullback who played in theAmerican Football League (AFL) for theKansas City Chiefs. He playedcollege football for theSouthern Jaguars. Hill joined the Chiefs as anundrafted free agent. He died suddenly after undergoing knee surgery, two days after a game against theBuffalo Bills in 1965.[1][2]
Born and raised inQuincy, Florida, Hill made the Chiefs' roster in1964 as a rookie free agent out ofSouthern University inBaton Rouge, signing for only $300, with an agreement he would only be paid if he made the lineup.[3] He wound up as the team's second-leading rusher that season with 567 yards and four touchdowns on 105 carries. Hill played in theAFL All-Star Game after his rookie campaign. He gained 627 yards, second-most on the team, in 1965, even though he did not complete the season, dying in knee surgery after the 12th game. He was nicknamed "The Truck."
Hill tore a ligament in his right knee in a regular season game against the Bills on December 12, forcing him to undergo season-ending surgery on that knee two days later atMenorah Medical Center inKansas City.[2] He was still on the operating table when his temperature suddenly spiked to 108 °F (42 °C), triggering severeconvulsions, and he died1+1⁄2 hours after surgery. Doctors said he suffered a "sudden and massiveembolism."[2][3][4]
Team doctor Albert R. Miller said the embolism could have been caused by a fat globule breaking off and entering the bloodstream, or it could have been triggered by a severe reaction to the anesthesia.[3]
Head coachHank Stram said, "Mack Lee Hill was a fine gentleman and a great football player. He was probably one of the most unselfish players I have ever coached. He was completely dedicated to the team. Football was his life."[3]
Through Hill's inspiration, the Chiefs created theMack Lee Hill Award, which is given each season to the team's most outstanding rookie. His No. 36 jersey has beenretired.
Hill had one son.