O. J. Brigance, the former Baltimore Ravens linebacker who became a longtime player-development executive and ALS advocate, died Aug. 17, 2026, at 56, NBC Sports reported. He had battled amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, for 19 years.
Brigance played linebacker at Rice from 1987 to 1990 and was twice selected to the All-Southwest Conference team. After going undrafted in 1991, he moved to Canada to pursue a professional career in the Canadian Football League, helping the Baltimore Stallions win the 1995 Grey Cup.
Brigance reached the NFL with the Miami Dolphins in 1996 and joined the Ravens in 2000 after four seasons in Miami. He contributed on special teams for Baltimore’s Super Bowl XXXV championship team. On the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XXXV, Brigance made the first tackle of the game.
When his playing career ended after the 2002 season, Brigance returned to the Ravens in 2004 in a role focused on player development and engagement. The Ravens’ player-development program won the NFL’s Best Overall Player Development Program award in 2005 and 2006.
After Brigance was diagnosed with ALS in 2007, he and his wife, Chanda, established the Brigance Brigade Foundation. It provides support services, equipment and resource guidance, and the foundation says it has helped hundreds of families living with ALS.
