Former Chicago Bears wide receiver and NFL star Harlon Hill died on Thursday after dealing with a serious illness, according to the Associated Press.
The report says that the 80-year-old died on Thursday at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence, which was announced by Jeff Hodges, chairman of the National Harlon Hill Award Committee. The receiver has his name on the NCAA Division II player of the year trophy and was a star in both college football and the NFL.
Hill went to North Alabama and won the NFL rookie of the year award in 1954 after coming out of school. He was the first winner of the Jim Thorpe Trophy, which was given to the NFL MVP in 1955 and he put up excellent numbers in his career.
He played for nine seasons with the Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions and made 233 catches for 4,717 yards and 40 touchdowns while averaging over 20 yards per catch. According to the AP, the Harlon Hill Trophy has been given on the eve of the Division II championship game for nearly 30 years to the best player in Division II.
