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Gabe Rivera, Texas Tech star left paralyzed, dies at 57

Gabe Rivera, the College Football Hall of Famer who was paralyzed in a car accident while a rookie with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has died. He was 57.

Texas Tech, where Rivera was an All-America defensive lineman, confirmed Rivera's death on Tuesday. He had been living in San Antonio with his wife, Nancy, who told KENS-TV her husband had taken ill last week and died Monday night.

Rivera, nicknamed Senor Sack, had five sacks and 62 tackles as a senior in 1982 for Texas Tech.

He was selected 21st overall by Pittsburgh in the 1983 NFL draft. He had two sacks in his first six games, but in October of that year he was in an automobile accident that left him a paraplegic.

Copyright 2018 by The Associated Press

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