Leon Bender

Leon Bender (August 8, 1975 – May 30, 1998) was an American football defensive tackle, was selected in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft (31st overall) by the Oakland Raiders.[1][2] He played college football at Washington State under head coach Mike Price; in his senior season of 1997, the Cougars won the Pac-10 title and played in the Rose Bowl, WSU's first return to the game in 67 years.[3] He graduated in 1993 from Santana High School in Santee, California, east of San Diego.[4]

Leon Bender
No. 91
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born:(1975-08-08)August 8, 1975
Ontario, California, U.S.
Died:May 30, 1998(1998-05-30) (aged 22)
Marietta, Georgia
Career information
High school:Santana (Santee, California)
College:Washington State
NFL Draft:1998 / Round: 2 / Pick: 31
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • 1997 All-American Dream Team selection
    by the Sports Network
  • 1997 First-team All-Pac-10 Conference choice
    by the Gridiron Report
  • Santana High School Football no.77 retired
Career NFL statistics as of 1998
Games played:--
Games started:--
Fumble recoveries:--
Player stats at NFL.com

Death

Six weeks after the draft, Bender unexpectedly died at age 22 before gaining the opportunity to play an NFL game. He was found dead in the home of sports agent Terry Bolar in Marietta, Georgia,[4][5][6][7] northwest of Atlanta. Bender was visiting Bolar, an associate of Eugene Parker, Bender's agent. He had signed a five-year, $3.45 million contract a few weeks earlier,[5] and was in Georgia to train for an upcoming Raiders' mini-camp.[4]

The Cobb County medical examiner's office confirmed on June 10 that a seizure disorder was the cause of death. Bender had been previously diagnosed with epilepsy, known by Washington State and the Raiders, but not publicized; his Cougar teammates were not aware of it.[4][5] Survived by his wife and daughter, he was buried in California at Singing Hills Memorial Park in El Cajon.

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References
  1. "Manning No. 1, Leaf gladly No. 2". Lewiston Morning Tribune. staff and wire reports. April 19, 1998. p. 1B.
  2. Jewell, Mark (April 20, 1998). "Draft goes over well in Pullman". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). Associated Press. p. 1C.
  3. Geranios, Nicholas K. (June 2, 1998). "WSU to honor Bender". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). Associated Press. p. 1C.
  4. "Bender found dead". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). staff and wire reports. May 31, 1998. p. 1B.
  5. "Cause of death remains unknown". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). wire reports. June 1, 1998. p. 1C.
  6. "Raiders' rookie dies". Today's News Herald. (Lake Havasu City, Arizona). Associated Press. May 31, 1998. p. 16A.
  7. Blanchette, John (June 1, 1998). "Bender made persistence pay". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.


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