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Former NFL Linebacker Dies At 54 After Battle With Cancer
Dean Wells, who played for nearly a decade in the NFL after an illustrious college career at the University of Kentucky, passed away on Thursday after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 54-years-old.
Wells spent the first six years of his NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks after he was selected in the fourth round of the 1993 draft. He went on to sign with the Carolina Panthers in 1999, where he spent the next three seasons before retiring in 2021.
Wells first revealed that he was battling in an interview with On3.com in April of last year. He said he had been diagnosed the previous year with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).
“There’s mental toughness that comes into it. You have to have a positive attitude that you can beat it. I’ve done everything that I can with that. It’s like the chemo either works or it doesn’t. You just don’t have a lot of control over it. You wish you had more control,” Wells told the outlet.
Wells during his time with the Seattle Seahawks
Photo: Todd Warshaw /Allsport
According to the Mayo Clinic, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow in which “the disease progresses rapidly and creates immature blood cells, rather than mature ones.”
Across nine seasons in the NFL, Wells racked up 529 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions and six forced fumbles.
A Louisville native, Wells was a standout star at the University of Kentucky before turning pro. By the end of his career, he held the single season sack record for the program with 10, which he set in 1992. He was later surpassed by Dennis Johnson with 12, followed by Josh Allen, who recorded 13 sacks in 2018.
To this day, Wells still holds the program’s single-game sack record with five, which he set against Indiana in 1992.
“Condolences to family & friends of Dean Wells, who has passed away,” the university said in a statement posted to social media. “A 3-year starter, he set a UK single-game record with 5 sacks vs. Indiana and went on to a 9-year NFL career. After NFL retirement, he returned to hometown Louisville and was a staunch supporter of the Wildcats.”
Wells is survived by his wife, Lisa, and their two sons.
