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O.J. Brigance, beloved Super Bowl 35 hero and ALS advocate, dies at 56
Digital Content Producer
WBAL-TV 11 Sports Director
O.J. Brigance, the former Baltimore Ravens linebacker who won a Super Bowl with the team, has died after a battle with ALS, the team announced Monday.
Video above: Remembering those we lost in 2026
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“We are devastated by the awful news that we have lost O.J. Brigance,” said Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti. “O.J. was a beloved legend, mentor and man to everyone who was fortunate enough to know him. He was a vibrant person who became one of the first Ravens heroes with his passionate play, including the first tackle in the 2000 Super Bowl.”
Brigance was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, in 2007. Not long after that, he and his wife, Chanda, formed the Brigance Brigade Foundation, an organization whose mission is to “equip, encourage and empower” those afflicted with ALS.
Despite using a wheelchair and a communication device that translated his messages, Brigance served as senior adviser for player engagement with the Ravens, a job he started in 2004.
In addition to assisting players in each phase of their career, Brigance proved a source of motivation within the organization.
“He was a hero to this city long before his courageous battle with ALS and became an even greater inspiration in the way he faced it with the same fight, faith and grace he brought to the football field,” said former Ravens President Dick Cass.
Brigance is the only player to win a Canadian Football League title and a Super Bowl championship for a team in the same city, Baltimore.
He recorded the first tackle of Super Bowl 35 on the game’s opening kickoff.
“O.J. Brigance was a great man,” said former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. “On behalf of Ingrid, Alison and our family, we extend our deepest condolences to the entire Brigance family.”
Orenthial James Brigance was born Sept. 29, 1969, and played in college at Rice in his hometown of Houston.
He began his professional career in 1991 as a linebacker for the British Columbia Lions. He played three seasons with BC, making 20 sacks in 1993, before joining the Baltimore Stallions. In his second season in Baltimore, the team won the 1995 Grey Cup.
In 1996, Brigance was signed by the Miami Dolphins as a free agent. He was twice voted a team captain during his four seasons there and was the Ed Block Courage Award recipient in 1999. He was honored with the NFL Players Association’s “Unsung Hero Award” that same season.
President Barack Obama gestures towards former Baltimore Ravens football linebacker O.J. Brigance, in wheelchair, right, during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, June 5, 2013.
Brigance’s lone season with Baltimore was 2000. He had a team-high 10 tackles on special teams during Baltimore’s playoff run, which ended with a 34-7 win over the New York Giants in the Super Bowl.
Brigance played for the St. Louis Rams in 2001 and 2002, and his final game was with New England in 2002.
The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.
