David Rodney Croudip (January 25, 1958 – October 10, 1988) was an American football
defensive back
In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
. He played for the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
,
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
and the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
of the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
and the
USFL
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
's
Los Angeles Express and
Houston Gamblers
The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons. They were noteworthy for introducing ...
. Croudip died on October 10, 1988 at age 30. It was later determined he had ingested a fatal dose of
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
. His death would be the first of three to strike the Falcons organization in the span of two years. The next year, offensive tackle
Ralph Norwood was killed in a one-car crash. Four weeks later, tight end
Brad Beckman was killed in a separate automobile collision.
[
]
References
External links
Death of an N.F.L. Player: Questions Persist New York Times, October 27, 1988
*
1958 births
1988 deaths
American football defensive backs
Compton High School alumni
Los Angeles Rams players
San Diego Chargers players
Atlanta Falcons players
San Diego State Aztecs football players
Cocaine-related deaths in Georgia (U.S. state)
Players of American football from Indianapolis
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