Wes Hopkins

[mrydel]

Just got an alert that he has died at 57.

[SmooBoy]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! CRAP!!!

Great dude and Mustang. RIP to him and condolences to family.

[peruna81]

Just heard that too...he was a gifted player, and from what I knew of him in 1980, a decent human being.
Praying for his family and teammates as they hear the news.

[RGV Pony]

Best smu walk-on ever?

RIP

[Ponyfan81]

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/colleg ... l-teammate

[Arkpony]

Didn’t he make the game winning interception in the Cotton Bowl?

[Stallion]

Defensive MVP of Cotton Bowl

[Arkpony]

Defensive MVP of Cotton Bowl

That's a Yes?

[Stallion]

recovered a fumble at the 2 yard line and then tipped a ball that was intercepted by Blaine Smith in the end zone on 3rd and goal to clinch the victory

Had 4 Ints in one game against UH.

He was such a solid, consistent Safety. So glad he was honored last year entering the SMU Hall of Fame

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Cotton_Bowl_Classic

[Arkpony]

A great player. We had a great secondary.

[soccermom]

Very sad news.

[ponyscott]

Saturday, Sep 29, 2018 11:02 AM

Didinger: Wes Hopkins Was Always A Fighter


It seems like everyone has a favorite Wes Hopkins memory. I covered his entire 10-year career in Philadelphia so, of course, I have memories, too. But my favorite memory is different because Wes wasn't even there.

Let me explain ...

I was in the Arizona Cardinals practice facility one day when they were preparing to play the Eagles. Two of their receivers were reading the locker room bulletin board when one of them, Ricky Proehl, let out a loud, "Uh oh." He pointed to a press release that was just posted. The other receiver, Randal Hill, read it and said, "Oh no." Proehl muttered something and walked away.

Whatever it was, obviously, was very bad news. I walked over to check it out for myself. It was a note announcing that Wes Hopkins was cleared to play for the Eagles on Sunday. If you were a wide receiver, yes, that was very bad news, indeed.

It takes a lot to make pro football players fearful. It takes a lot to make them say, "Oh no," when they read your name. Wes Hopkins commanded that kind of respect. Even the toughest receivers worried when they knew they would be going up against No. 48.

Wes was listed at 6-1 and 212 pounds but he looked bigger and played bigger. He was a fierce hitter who roamed the middle of the field tackling ball carriers and making receivers think twice about reaching for a pass. He teamed with Andre Waters to give the Eagles the most intimidating pair of safeties in the NFL.

"When other teams watch film of our defense, I know what they're saying," Reggie White once said. "They're saying, 'Watch out for number 48.'"

Wes was the Eagles' second-round draft pick in 1983 and he started 14 games as a rookie. He quickly established himself as one of the game's best safeties. In 1985, he led the team in tackles (136) and interceptions (6). He was named the Eagles' Most Valuable Player on defense that year and was a starter in the Pro Bowl.

The Best Of Wes Hopkins
Take a look at the best photos of Wes Hopkins' Eagles career.

He took pride in the fact that he had to work hard for everything he achieved. He wasn't a top recruit coming out of high school in Birmingham, Alabama. He wasn't recruited at all, really. His uncle talked the folks at SMU into taking him as a walk-on. He was a starter by his sophomore year and an all-conference choice by the time he was a senior. By his own admission, he did not have great speed but he was smart and, oh, was he physical.

In the Cotton Bowl, SMU beat a Pitt team with Dan Marino at quarterback (and held him to three points) and Wes was all over the field. Eagles coach Marion Campbell saw a player who could have an immediate impact on defense so he selected him with the 35th overall pick. Wes salvaged what was an otherwise forgettable draft. The Eagles drafted 14 players that year – including running back Michael Haddix in the first round – but Wes was the only keeper.

Given his style of play, Wes would have appeared to be the perfect player for a coach like Buddy Ryan, but strangely, their relationship was always strained. When Ryan was hired in 1986, Wes was coming off a Pro Bowl season and he threatened to hold out as many players did during the Norman Braman ownership. That annoyed Ryan and when Wes did report, he pulled a hamstring and missed a week of practice.

"I keep hearing how good he is," Ryan said one day, "but all I see him doing is standing around killing grass."

Wes suffered a severe knee injury that year and it kept him off the field for two seasons. Ryan brought in Terry Hoage to play free safety but when Wes returned in 1988, he won back the job. In 1990, Ryan drafted Ben Smith to play free safety but Smith wound up moving to cornerback and Wes was back in the starting lineup. That was really the bottom line: Wes kept coming back and proving to the coaches he was the best man for the job.

"Nothing about this game is easy, nothing in life is easy," Wes once said. "You just can't let it defeat you. Whatever challenge is put in front of me, I'll overcome it. I'm a fighter. I've always been a fighter."

He played 137 games in his Eagles career, tied with Andre Waters for third most among defensive backs. Only Brian Dawkins (183) and Randy Logan (159) played more. His 30 interceptions rank fifth in club history. He also had 16 fumble recoveries. He will be long remembered by Philadelphia fans, as well as Ricky Proehl and Randal Hill.

[SoCal_Pony]

Condolences to his family. Wes Hopkins was a great SMU player, a real joy to watch.

I found this online:

Former SMU and Philadelphia Eagles teammate Harvey Armstrong said he is fairly certain that Wes Hopkins was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease that has been found in more than 100 former NFL players whose families donated their brains for research.

"He just went into a shell, much like Andre Waters did," Armstrong said. "You could see some of the things he was dealing with. The depression and the anxiety and the other things that CTE causes.''

Andre Waters, who played alongside Mr. Hopkins for nine seasons (both were safeties) committed suicide in 2006 at 44.

Given the costs of playing organized football (virtually every state is in serious debt), the changing demographics of America (Hispanics overwhelmingly prefer footbol, Asians basketball) and most importantly this head trauma health issue, one does wonder about the long term prospects of American football.

I know that here in California, if the decline in football participation over the past few years continues over the next decade, there would be serious implications.

[orguy]

So sad.

May he R.I.P

[ponyte]

Great layer and teammate. So sorry to hear of his passing. COndolences to the family and RIP Wes.