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wasn't serious, but Tuggle noticed pain in his shoulder that seemed too significant to be entirely the result of the collision. Advised to see a doctor by
Carpenter, who was with him in the car, Tuggle was soon diagnosed with cancer. He stayed on the team and continued to work out with them, hoping he could one day return to the field. "You could tell what a terrible thing his chemotherapy was," said Giants conditioning coach Johnny Parker, "but John actually got stronger, and although it broke your heart to do it, he wanted to be pushed, he didn't want sympathy. In the weight room, John Tuggle was not sick. John Tuggle was a standard." The Giants advised Tuggle not to report to training camp in 1985, as that way they would not have to cut him from the team and he could continue to collect his salary until his contract expired in February 1986.
328:. Tuggle rushed 27 times for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game, while also catching two passes for 37 yards as his team upset Stanford 28-23 and ruined the Cardinal’s chance of playing in a bowl game. In Tuggle's senior season of 1982, he led the team in rushing and helped them achieve a 7-4 record. In their final game against Stanford, Tuggle had 28 carries for 97 yards, a performance that was largely overshadowed by the game's dramatic ending, known as
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The offseason in 1984 turned out to be less positive. Tuggle got divorced from his wife and suffered a knee injury during a workout, resulting in minor surgery. During the summer, Tuggle and some teammates were involved in a minor car crash when their vehicle struck a telephone pole. The accident
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Drafted by the Giants with the last pick of the 1983 draft, Tuggle fought hard to make the roster and secured himself a spot on special teams after some solid plays in the pre-season. He became the first player in league history picked last in the draft to make the NFL on the team that drafted him.
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In the final months of his life, Tuggle moved in with a college teammate from his days at Cal, telling him he wanted to die in
California. He spent his remaining days undergoing cancer treatment in San Diego and Mexico until his death on August 30, 1986. Though they did not keep him on the team
315:
as their starting fullback, rushing for 1,813 yards and 16 touchdowns, while also catching 108 passes for 914 yards and 3 scores. Tuggle earned a spot in the starting lineup in the fourth game of his true freshman season in 1979, helping the team reach the 1979
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was injured. He finished the season with 17 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown, three receptions for 50 yards, and 9 kickoff returns for 156 yards. He was voted special teams player of the year by his teammates.
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turned out to be one of the highlights of his career. With a 2-8 record, Cal entered the game as 15-point underdogs against the 6-4 Cardinals led by future NFL Hall of Famer
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after the 1985 season, the Giants paid for Tuggle's health insurance for the remainder of his life, and wore his number 38 on their helmets during their
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Tuggle played most of the 1983 season on special teams, but was promoted to starting fullback in week 12 when
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296:. The nickname given to the last player selected in the draft is "
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489:"Once Mr. Irrelevant, a Giant Remains an Inspiring Force"
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Once Mr. Irrelevant, a Giant
Remains an Inspiring Force
507:"Holmdel's Tommy Nolan Wins John Tuggle Memorial Award"
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Players of
American football from San Jose, California
467:"John Tuggle: Cal's Extraordinary "Mr. Irrelevant""
450:"John Tuggle: Cal's Extraordinary "Mr. Irrelevant""
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288:(NFL). Tuggle was the last selection of the
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280:(January 13, 1961 – August 30, 1986) was a
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303:Tuggle played high school football for
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487:Weintraub, Robert (April 22, 2013).
16:American football player (1961–1986)
535:, 1986-09-14. Retrieved 2011-09-06
405:Finn, Robin (September 14, 1986).
14:
581:"30 for 30: The Irrelevant Giant"
99:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
1326:American football running backs
356:Tuggle was the subject of the
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529:"Tuggle’s Fight Against Time"
432:"Tuggle's Fight Against Time"
407:"TUGGLE'S FIGHT AGAINST TIME"
1356:Deaths from cancer in Mexico
386:. Pro-Football-Reference.com
570:. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
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351:1986–87 Super Bowl winning
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305:Independence High School
286:National Football League
107:210 lb (95 kg)
21:American football player
1336:New York Giants players
471:California Golden Blogs
313:California Golden Bears
617:Pro Football Reference
439:. September 14, 1986.
179:Career NFL statistics
544:Weintraub, Robert. "
364:The Irrelevant Giant
309:San Jose, California
126:San Jose, California
54:Personal information
322:Stanford University
26:
1050:Justice Cunningham
551:The New York Times
533:The New York Times
493:The New York Times
436:The New York Times
411:The New York Times
292:, selected by the
112:Career information
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1257:Darrell Patterson
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1061:Lonnie Ballentine
918:Tevita Ofahengaue
798:: Demetrius Davis
744:: Randy Essington
554:. April 21, 2013.
509:. All Shore Media
473:. April 18, 2012.
452:. April 18, 2012.
318:Garden State Bowl
278:John Davis Tuggle
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874:Ronnie McAda
852:Michael Reed
830:Daron Alcorn
819:Matt Elliott
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589:. Retrieved
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511:. Retrieved
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388:. Retrieved
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282:running back
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233:Return yards
121:Independence
117:High school:
84:(1986-08-30)
48:Running back
18:
1321:1986 deaths
1316:1961 births
1295:John Tuggle
1280:Lee Jenkins
1271:Andy Headen
1248:Karl Nelson
1149:Brock Purdy
1127:Tae Crowder
1006:Ryan Succop
962:Andy Stokes
841:Marty Moore
808:Larry Wanke
735:John Tuggle
670:Kelvin Kirk
25:John Tuggle
1310:Categories
1223:selections
1171:Jaylen Key
1105:Trey Quinn
1094:Chad Kelly
1083:Kalan Reed
907:Mike Green
885:Cam Quayle
863:Sam Manuel
655:selections
370:References
326:John Elway
211:Receptions
143:NFL draft:
137:California
65:1961-01-13
1017:Tim Toone
940:Ryan Hoag
591:April 24,
359:30 for 30
44:Position:
896:Jim Finn
513:July 25,
416:July 22,
390:July 25,
353:season.
330:The Play
133:College:
91:, Mexico
613:NFL.com
362:short,
284:in the
104:Weight:
96:Height:
89:Tijuana
587:. ESPN
74:, U.S.
39:No. 38
79:Died:
59:Born:
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701:1980
693:1979
685:1978
677:1977
666:1976
593:2013
568:ESPN
515:2011
418:2016
392:2011
166:1983
147:1983
548:".
307:in
265:PFR
238:156
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