Former Chiefs Player Found Dead At 43 Years Old
12/22/2024 11:05 PM
A former NFL player has tragically been found dead at 43 years old.
Jimmy Wilkerson, a former player for the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks, reportedly passed away earlier this month. He reportedly suffered a heart attack and was found dead.
The former Chiefs and Saints star, who won a national championship at Oklahoma, was a sixth round pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.
The Saints are saddened by his loss:
"He was a great teammate," said former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle (2006-12). "He fit into our locker room perfect. He was only here for a year but we were talking about it on our group chat, and everybody remembered Jimmy. He was just a standup dude."
In 21 starts and 119 career games, Wilkerson totaled 14 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, eight passes defensed, 23 tackles for loss and 179 tackles. With the Saints in '10, he had two sacks, two tackles for loss and 16 tackles. He was credited with a tackle in New Orleans' Wild Card playoff loss to Seattle.
The Oklahoman had more details on what happened:
Friday morning, a few hours before the Titans were scheduled to have their final practice and walk-through before Saturday's title game, Jimmy was at home when a call went out to 911. By the time paramedics got there, he had no pulse.
He'd had a heart attack.
He was only 43.
His death left everyone at Carl Albert reeling. The coaches who had become like brothers. The players who had become like sons. But of course, it hit Maddox like no one else.
Wilkerson played in the NFL from 2003-11. He was a two-time first-team All-Big 12 player at Oklahoma, helping the Sooners win a national championship.
Our thoughts are with his friends and family members during this difficult time.
