Darryl Stingley spent more than half his life in a wheelchair, a symbol of the violence of the NFL, where large bodies collide at high speeds on every play.

He was only 26 when he clashed head on with the Raiders' Jack Tatum, a former Ohio State star, during an exhibition at the Oakland Coliseum as they leaped for a pass.

That play has haunted the NFL for nearly three decades.

Yesterday, the after-effects of Stingley's grievous injury finally took his life at age 55.

He was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital after he was found unresponsive in his Chicago home, according to Tony Brucci, an investigator with the Cook County medical examiner's office.

An autopsy revealed contributing factors were bronchial pneumonia, quadriplegia, spinal cord injury, and coronary atherosclerosis, the medical examiner's office said.

Stingley was a star receiver with the New England Patriots when he collided with Tatum on Aug. 12, 1978. With one jolt, his life was forever changed. His neck was broken; he was left a quadriplegic. In time, he regained limited movement in his right arm and was able to operate his electric wheelchair on his own.

"I have relived that moment over and over again," he said in a 1988 interview. "I was 26 years old at the time and I remember thinking, 'What's going to happen to me? If I live, what am I going to be like?' And then there were all those whys, whys, whys?

"It was only after I stopped asking why, that I was able to regroup and go on with my life," he said.

"I've thought about that throw over and over the years. Could I have changed anything or done anything differently?" Steve Grogan, the Patriots quarterback who threw the pass, said, "That hit probably was not necessary in a game with no meaning."

But Chuck Fairbanks, the Patriots' coach at the time, said he couldn't find anything illegal or dirty about it. Nor did the officials; no flag was thrown.

"I saw replays many, many times, and many times Jack Tatum was criticized," Fairbanks said. "But there wasn't anything at the time that was illegal about that play. I do think probably that play was a forerunner for some of the changes in rules that exist today that are more protective of receivers, especially if there is head-to-head contact.

First Published April 6, 2007, 9:57 a.m.