O.J. Brigance, whose journey from special-teams standout to one of the most quietly powerful figures in Baltimore Ravens history spanned two and a half decades, has died following a battle with ALS that lasted nearly 19 years. He was 56.
"With profound sadness, we mourn the passing of our beloved O.J. Brigance following his extraordinary and heroic battle with ALS," the Ravens said in a statement on Monday. "O.J. was a cherished figure, mentor, and man whose impact on the Ravens franchise and city of Baltimore spanned two-and-a-half decades."
Brigance, born in Houston and a standout at Rice University, built an unusual football résumé before he ever put on a Ravens uniform. He won a Grey Cup with the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League in 1995, making him the only player to win both a Grey Cup and a Super Bowl for a team representing the same city. He signed with Baltimore as a free-agent linebacker in 2000 and became known that season for a moment that lasted only a few seconds but stuck with fans for a lifetime: the first tackle of Super Bowl XXXV, made on the game's opening kickoff, in the Ravens' 34-7 win over the New York Giants.
His playing career ended in 2002 after seven NFL seasons, but his time with the organization was just beginning. Brigance joined Baltimore's front office in 2004, eventually leading the team's player engagement and development department — work that earned the Ravens the NFL's Best Overall Player Development Program award in back-to-back years (2005-06), the Most Outstanding Internship Program Award in 2005, and the Outstanding Continuing Education Program Award in 2007.
That same year, everything changed. On May 16, 2007, Brigance was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease — a progressive neurological condition with no cure and, typically, a life expectancy of two to five years. Brigance lived nearly four times that long, a span he spent as one of the most visible ALS advocates in the country rather than out of public view. He and his wife, Chanda, founded the Brigance Brigade Foundation soon after his diagnosis, a nonprofit that has spent nearly two decades raising money and awareness for ALS research while directly helping families living with the disease access equipment, support services, and resources.
No one embodied what it means to be a Raven quite like O.J. Brigance. pic.twitter.com/T57eA5txSY
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 17, 2026
Over the years, Brigance spoke often about choosing to keep living fully despite a disease that gradually took his ability to walk, then speak, communicating in his later years through a device that translated his eye movements into speech. "Since being diagnosed, I have done a greater good for society in eight years than in my previous 37 years on earth," he said in 2015. Two years earlier, marking a decade with the disease, he put it simply: "This is a privilege, to be living today, and we will celebrate every day for the gift that it is."
Tributes poured in from across the organization Monday. Owner Steve Bisciotti called it "a tremendously sad day for Baltimore," saying Brigance "became one of the first Ravens heroes with his passionate play" before becoming something more through the way he lived afterward. "Known for his big smile and welcoming nature, it was easy to feel a special connection with O.J. from the moment you met him," Bisciotti said.
Executive Vice President Ozzie Newsome, who worked alongside Brigance for years, called him "one of the most genuine, sincere people I have ever known." General Manager Eric DeCosta, reflecting on 22 years knowing Brigance, said the team "never once saw O.J. angry or frustrated by his disease. Instead, we all witnessed a hero who influenced so many people through his unwavering optimism and grit. O.J. Brigance is the definition of what it means to live like a Raven."
Former head coach John Harbaugh, who coached the Ravens through most of Brigance's years living with ALS, remembered him as family. "O.J. was a great friend to me, my wife and my daughter, and I will always treasure the time we shared with him," Harbaugh said. "O.J. was a man of great faith who was given a very challenging purpose, and he met it perfectly in every way through the great glory of God."
Former head coach Brian Billick and his wife, Kim, echoed that sentiment, calling Brigance "an inspiring symbol of grace, class, compassion and competitive competence" over more than 25 years with the organization. Ravens President Emeritus Dick Cass said simply that no one "embodied what it means to be a Raven quite like O.J. Brigance."
Brigance is survived by his wife, Chanda, and their family. The Ravens organization asked that his memory be honored, in part, by continued support for the fight against ALS — the cause he and Chanda spent nearly two decades building into a lasting part of his legacy through the Brigance Brigade Foundation.