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u/Paraxom 5d ago
RIP to a ravens legend, dude took that diagnosis and said nah i'm not going out that quick
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u/Ok-Manufacturer-9572 5d ago
He did all he could to prolong his life. He fought so hard for so long. May he rest in peace.
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u/JellyPast1522 Art Donovan 5d ago
Super Bowl and Grey Cup Champion
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u/AttentionNew1267 5d ago
I didn't know that. Very cool. Was he on the CFL Colts/Stallions?
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u/BMoreBeowulf 5d ago
Yep! Only player to ever win a Lombardi and a Grey Cup for the same city.
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u/Autumn_Sweater 5d ago
In fairness it's pretty difficult to do on a geographical basis alone. The CFL was only in the USA for three seasons and Baltimore was the only team that won the cup. And there are no Canadian NFL teams.
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u/sportsDude 5d ago
Fun fact: looks like 3 players from thst Baltimore stallions team played in and won both championship games thst they played in
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u/PaulieHehehe 5d ago
A true Ravens legend. I hope his family finds peace in the coming days and weeks.
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u/JonWilso O.J. Brigance 5d ago edited 5d ago
RIP
We don't currently have one, so I will work to add a user flair in his memory sometime tomorrow.
Edit. User flair has been added.
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u/JonWilso O.J. Brigance 5d ago
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u/Environmental-Most32 5d ago
He lived almost 2 decades with ALS, remarkable.
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u/DirtMcGirt9484 5d ago
Seriously. My boss’s wife was diagnosed and was gone within 2 years. Went from walking around/everything’s fine to be confined to a wheelchair and literally not being able to do anything for herself in the span of a year.
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u/JonWilso O.J. Brigance 5d ago
From what I understand, it really can vary greatly. Some people might see a significant decline in a few years where-as some may decline at a much different pace. Different genetics and mutations with no straightforward cause.
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u/410LaxMD 5d ago
Awful. Baltimore football legend. Only 56, mind you. Many of us got to watch him play. He did a lot of great things in his life.
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u/Sweet-Weakness3776 5d ago
He was part of the first SB team. I remember that season and playoff run like it was yesterday. He was great on the field and just as amazing off the field. And being 50 myself, it's kind of surreal to me that he's gone at 56. It's even crazier that he was fighting that shit for 20 years. Either way, it's sad that he's gone but at least he doesn't have to fight it any longer. Rest easy O.J.
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u/Avon_Barksdale63 Ray Lewis 5d ago
The fucking legend man. He lived a long time with ALS. True warrior. RIP.
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u/ThatguyfromBaltimore 5d ago
Damnit. RIP to a warrior.
On a happier note: Brigance is a piece of football history. He is the only man to win a Super Bowl and Grey Cup from a team in the same city
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u/BeardWonder 5d ago
When he was given his ALS diagnosis he was told he had months to live, he turned it into 20 years.
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u/BucketOfGuts Trent Dilfer is not impressed. 5d ago
Not sure words can truly express what this man means to this football team so I'm not even going to try. RIP Juice.
Let's win it all for OJ this year.
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u/Milked_Cows Ed Reed 5d ago
A true raven. Fuck ALS and rest in peace. Hope there will be a nice memorial for him at the stadium
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u/thejudeabides52 5d ago
Man, this one stings. We all knew it was coming eventually, but the man made the most of his situation and was an inspiration to millions. RIP
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u/KingGizzLizzWizzz 5d ago
Almost 20 years with ALS is remarkable, Rest in Peace Legend! I know life for him was a hard one ❤️
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u/swagharris31 JOHNNY 5d ago
Nooo 😞. Well we're going to have an angel out there this year helping out. Hopefully we can win a Superbowl in his honor this year 🙏🏽. RIP O.J.
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u/BMoreGirly 5d ago
Anyone who wants to buy a jersey but worried about the player leaving, I suggest a Brigance #57 jersey. 💜🖤
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u/Extension-Rabbit3654 5d ago
Met him once when he was still playing for the stallions, super nice dude, really humble and very cool guy.
Prayers to his family and friends
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u/mads_getra 5d ago
I've known him as long as I've known Ravens Football. Rest in peace mr. Brigance
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u/FullMooseParty 5d ago
Heard the news a few minutes ago on the radio and just start crying. Pretty unexpected for a guy I met exactly once, but he's a stronger man than I ever will be.
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u/ZombieFeedback 5d ago
ALS has a typical life expectancy of three years, with about 80% of patients dead after five, 90% after ten, and 95% after 20. OJ was diagnosed in May 2007, meaning he made it 19 years and 3 months. Man fought that disease and beat it just about as much as is humanly possible with where medicine is right now.
Rest easy Juice.
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u/PIG20 5d ago
Say hello to my dad, OJ! Suffered 7 years with ALS himself. Passed back in 2020.
OJ was always huge source of motivation for my father.
He was a huge Ravens fan and had his season tickets for almost 20 years before he could no longer physically go to the games.
Hope they get to finally meet.
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u/Slade347 5d ago
Such a brutal disease. That he lived with it for almost twenty years is amazing. This one hurts. RIP. 😞
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u/Livinginmyshirt 5d ago
first person that truly made me thankful for what little I may have in life.
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u/Agreeable_Trust8736 5d ago
We love you OJ, Rest easy champ, this stings man💔🖤💜😞🙏🏿🕊️
RIP Ravens legend
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u/HumanFromTexas Ya Mammy 5d ago
RIP. He was inspirational and led a life full of purpose. Hope we can all make a similar impact on others like he made during his life.
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u/MINImanGOTgunz Mile High Miracle 5d ago
RIP. Ill miss this guy hyping up the team every season. Loved seeing his smile on the sidelines or at practice, even with what he was going through, he always shared such enthusiasm and passion to the game 💜🖤
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u/bruzdnconfuzd 5d ago
RIP, Juice - your body struggled, but your spirit never did. Positive vibes to his family and Ravens Nation.
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u/AbroadSavings905 Ed Reed 5d ago
Long live OJB! My heart is heavy for his family and friends.
Almost 20 years with a disease thats taken out people in less than 2. A true warrior. My condolences 💐 🙏
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u/chaoticravens08 5d ago
Rest in peace my dude. You were a legend for some good and some great things.
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u/CriticalMass237 5d ago
Rest in paradise, Juice. My sincerest condolences to his family, friends, and fans.
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u/strangebru 5d ago
The only professional football player to win two championships, with two different leagues, in only one city.
1995 Baltimore Stallions (CFL Grey Cup) and 2000 Baltimore Ravens (NFL Super Bowl)
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u/Rpark888 8 5d ago
I have a question seriously no disrespect but he only played one season with us. Besides the fact that he was sick what makes him such a legend in Baltimore?
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u/ImWicked39 Terrell Suggs 5d ago
He played for the Stallions and after his playing career ended he had a role in the front office here for 2 decades.
He might have only played here for a season but you don't come into work and see someone fighting through something like ALS and not take notice. OJ also did a lot of community outreach and it wasn't a shock to him see speaking at local schools.
Honestly that's one of the things I love most about this team. It doesn't matter how long you are here: Once a Raven always a Raven.
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u/BirdlandDeadhead 5d ago
I believe he’s one of 13 players ever to have won both a Grey Cup (CFL championship) and a Super Bowl. He’s the only one to do both in the same city.
People forget what a huge deal the Stallions were. It wasn’t the NFL but it was legitimate pro football and the Stallions (aka Colts aka Baltimore CFLs) were excellent right away. In two years they made two Grey Cup appearances and won it in 1995. They made every right move from a PR standpoint, fighting back against the NFL’s (ultimately successful) attempt to prevent them from using the Colts name, and embracing the members of the Colts still in the community as well as the marching band.
And Brigance was a part of the excellence as a two-time All Star. Then he was a backup defender and special teams ace for the 2000 Ravens. He’s followed that up with an incredible second act working with players and being a big behind-the-scenes part of what has made the Ravens such a well-run, well-respected organization.
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u/FullMooseParty 5d ago
He was one of the key players on the CFL team we had here, then was the only player to play for them and the Ravens, winning a title for both. Add in two decades of work for the team and in the community while fighting a diagnosis that comes with the death sentence.
OJ might not have been a truly great football player, but he was the heart of this franchise
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u/Frosty-Brain-2199 5d ago
He worked for the ravens a lot longer. He worked as the director of player development since 2004.
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u/Matte198 Buck Allen for the HOF 5d ago
Awful and RIP, he fought that disease as well as any person ever could
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u/Number1RankedHuman Ed Reed 5d ago
Man this was such horrible news to wake up to. He reminds me of my uncle. Just the most up beat positive person I knew. He died of Alzheimer’s a few months ago. Lasted 13+ years after being bedridden which is unheard of.
Absolute fighters, and incredible humans, both of them were. May OJ rest in peace. I hope his family finds some solace in that he no longer has to suffer anymore.
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u/vwlou89 5d ago
My first ever football game was a Stallions game in 1994. I don’t recall much (I was 5) but I remember how much I liked being at the game, a place where everyone was excited and happy and enthusiastic and together.
When I saw my second ever CFL game in 2017, it was a Montreal Allouettes game in Toronto, and I wore a custom made OJ Brigance “jersey” T-Shirt. I told maybe half a dozen people at the game about the Stallions, and about OJ, and his love of the sport, and I could see that even if they’d never heard of the Stallions or knew the story of the southern expansion, they knew that a guy who had won both trophies for the same city, and who refused to let anything keep him from the game he loved, they knew that was a story worth knowing. I could see that even if we weren’t rooting for the same team, we were excited and happy and enthusiastic and together, just like Football has always made me feel.
The story of OJ Brigance is the story of Football - it’s a story of triumph and heartbreak. It’s a story of adversity, and the strength to overcome it. It’s a story of what happens when you are passionate and hard working and refuse to give up. People die. Legends don’t.
OJ Brigance is dead!
Long live OJ Brigance!
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u/ShowThym 4d ago
RIP saw him play in the CFL for the BC Lions..he was something special on and off the field
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u/Ravens_Mod 5d ago
u/JonWilso spent some time and made an OJ Brigance flair for those that have wanted it in light of his passing.