Former Cal quarterback Joe Roth was preparing for the 1977 NFL draft when he got the news. The projected top-round pick was diagnosed with cancer and had 90 days to live. As is the case for anyone in that situation, the young man simply couldn’t believe the news that he had been given. To be told your life was set to expire…it has to be something that seemed surreal.
After all, this was less than a year after Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer had this to say about Roth, via CBS Sports
The best I’ve ever seen as a coach
This news didn’t stop Roth from participating in multiple All-Star game leading up to his death two months before the draft and just a month after he had participated in the Japan Bowl with a ton of future NFL players.
As CBS points out, former NFL head coach and player Tony Dungy had sent this telegram to Roth just one day prior to his death and two months before he was slated to be a top-five pick in the 1977 draft.
Roth hid the news from those close to him and his teammates until shortly before his death. He was wired to play football and wasn’t going to give that up, even after being given a death sentence.
How someone seemingly in the prime of his life and ready to take on the rigors of the National Football League could pass away so early in life is beyond description. It’s a tragedy that many of us had never even heard about. But it’s also a representation of just how horrible the “C” word is. Anyone can be impacted by it. If Roth’s story does anything, it serves as an example to live every day of your life like it is your last…because it could very well be.
A new documentary titled Don’t Quit: The Joe Roth Story premiered at the Newport Film Festival in Southern California on Sunday. It’s definitely going to be a must see.
Here’s the trailer…
Photo: SB Nation