Gene Brito Is Dead

June 8, 1965 - Gene Brito (pictured in 1958), a former end for the Washington Redskins and the Los Angeles Rams, died today at the City of Hope Hospital in Duarte, Calif. He was 39 years old. He had been under treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. 

Brito was stricken in 1961 at the Rams’ summer training camp in Redlands. He has been in and out of hospitals ever since, always maintaining a cheerful, courageous attitude although confined to a wheelchair.

Brito, a paratrooper in the South Pacific theater in World War II, was an outstanding player at Loyola of Los Angeles. From his freshman year in 1947 to until he graduated in 1950, he appeared in every game. 

In 1961, he was drafted by the Redskins. As a defensive end, he ranked as one of the best in the NFL in 1955. In seven years with the Redskins, Brito played in 84 consecutive games. He was traded to the Rams in 1959.

Brito’s death brought expressions of sorrow from his many friends in the sports world.

“The example of courage he set for us will live long after his football feats are forgotten,” said Daniel Reeves, president of the Rams.

“He was an inspiration to me as a man and a player,” said Ram coach Harland Svare.

“It’s a very sad thing. The sports world has lost a true champion,” said former Ram star Les Richter, who is a close friend of the Brito family. It was Richter who organized a fundraising campaign for Brito when he was originally hospitalized at the Veteran Administration’s Wadsworth General Hospital in Sawtelle.

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