His name is synonymous with the violent side of the National Football League.

Though high speed collisions occur in every NFL game, the story of Darryl Stingley forever will serve as a reminder of how one play can change a player's life forever.

Stingley, a former wide receiver for the New England Patriots, broke his neck in a game against the Oakland Raiders in 1978.

The injury left Stingley a quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair until his death Thursday. He was 55.

Initial reports confirmed that the spinal cord injury, among other factors, contributed to his death.

There have been other players who have seen their NFL careers ended by a broken neck: Mike Utley, Dennis Byrd and Reggie Brown, to name a few. All such cases are tragic because the players were simply playing the game they loved.

But Stingley's injury took place in a preseason game, in effect, a glorified practice.

On Aug. 12, 1978, the Patriots were in Oakland for a late afternoon contest.

New England had the ball in Raiders territory when Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan attempted to hit Stingley on a crossing pattern.

Stingley leaped for the ball, but the pass was well over his head. His feet hit the ground and his head was down as he received a hit from Oakland safety Jack Tatum, who entered the play from the opposite direction.

Stingley was taken off the field on a stretcher and it was later learned that he was paralyzed from the neck down.

Thus ended the career of one of the league's most promising young wideouts.

Stingley grew up in Chicago and attended Purdue University, where he was teammates with several future NFL players, including Gary Danielson, Otis Armstrong and Dave Butz.

New England selected him No. 19 overall in the 1973 NFL Draft, the third wide receiver taken that year.

For the first four seasons of his career, he struggled to put up big numbers while playing for a Patriots team that focused on running the football.

But in 1977, which proved to be his final season, he tallied 39 receptions for 657 yards and five touchdowns.

Those numbers may seem modest, but considering the NFL played two fewer regular season games then than it does now, and that it came at a time when defensive backs were allowed to punish receivers on nearly every play, the numbers were a sign that Stingley was a rising star.

Following his injury, Stingley did regain limited movement in his right arm. He went on to serve in the Patriots front office and became involved in charity work in the Chicago area.

Rules regarding late hits and hits to the helmet have changed the way NFL games are played, and Stingley's injury undoubtedly affected those changes.

As fans, we sometimes criticize an official's call as being ticky-tacky and we say the NFL is becoming too soft.

But a 15-yard penalty, even if it affects the outcome of a game, is better than seeing a player spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

Rest in peace, Darryl.