Former NFL star Ronnie Hillman, who won the Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos in 2016, has died after a bout with cancer.
On Thursday, Hillman’s family confirmed the tragic news. The former running back was just 31 years of age and last played in the NFL back in 2016 as he drew the curtain on a five-year career.
Hillman was a third-round pick by the Broncos in the 2012 NFL draft, becoming one of the youngest players selected in recent times. He was just 20 years old when the Broncos chose him and didn't turn 21 until September of his rookie campaign.
He was one of two 20-year-old stars selected in the class alongside quarterback Brock Osweiler. The pair would link up on offence in crucial stages to help lead Denver to Super Bowl 50 glory after iconic quarterback Peyton Manning got injured.
Former teammates such as defensive lineman Derek Wolfe had expressed how poor Hillman’s heath had become in recent days as he was moved into hospice care. Wolfe revealed Hillman had liver cancer and contracted pneumonia, too.
Orlando Franklin, a former offensive lineman for the Broncos, took to social media to write: “Please pray for Ronnie Hillman… this ain’t fair, please god, please.”
Hillman joined the Broncos in the team's first draft class after it had signed Manning, the biggest fish in the free agency pond. He rushed for 218 yards in 2013 when the Broncos set the league's single-season scoring record with 606 points and became one of the most feared offensive juggernauts in NFL history.
Two years later, Hillman led the championship-winning Broncos in both rushing and touchdowns, tallying 863 yards and seven scores during the regular season. After winning Super Bowl 50, Hillman played for both the Minnesota Vikings and San Diego Chargers during the 2016 season - which proved to be his final campaign.
The third-round pick was selected by the Broncos after impressing during his two seasons at San Diego State, where he registered successive 1,500-yard rushing seasons - 1,532 yards and 17 touchdowns as a freshman to go with 1,711 yards and 19 touchdowns as a sophomore. His performances means Hillman currently sits fifth on the school’s all-time rushing list.
The tragic news comes after Pittsburgh Steelers icon Franco Harris - responsible for the ‘Immaculate Reception’ - passed away on Tuesday night. arris spent 12 seasons with the Steelers and won the Super Bowl on four occasions before he retired as a member of the Seattle Seahawks in 1984.
