Heart Disorder Forces End to Liggins’ Football Career

Football has always been a way of life for Guy Liggins of the San Francisco 49ers.

But after surgery Monday to temper a rare heart disorder, the former Castle Park High and Southwestern College receiver feels fortunate just to be living. And he is through with football.

On June 26, Liggins, 23, was working out with a friend at San Jose State when “it just happened,” he said. “My heart rate speeded up. It made me feel real dizzy, and I felt like I was going to pass out.”

Liggins said he knew exactly what the problem was. It had happened once before when he was at Castle Park.

Liggins has a rare, unnamed heart disorder, which without notice or provocation causes his heart rate to jump to 240 beats per minute, a pace that could be fatal.

With medication, doctors at San Jose Hospital were able to control the rate temporarily. Liggins thought he was to be released the next day, but the doctors wanted to take more tests to find out what drugs could be prescribed to assure the problem would not reoccur.

“They tried all kinds of tests and about three or four drugs over the next few days,” he said. “None of them worked. In fact, one them caused my heart rate to go up, and I passed out.”

Surgery was performed Monday to implant a device in Liggins’ stomach, with wires leading to his heart that are to halt any significant increase in his heart rate.

Doctors told him he will live a normal life, but his promising football career is over. “That hurt a lot. It was hard to take at first. Football has always been a big dream for me,” said Liggins, who is scheduled to be released from the hospital Sunday.

“But life goes on. My life is more important than football. I could have died.”

Liggins was an all-county receiver at Castle Park. After two years at Southwestern College, he set San Jose State career records--in just two years--for receptions (161) and yards (2,378).

He was an honorable mention All-American at San Jose State in 1987 after catching 81 passes and leading the nation in receiving yardage with 1,262. In 1988, he was cut from the Super Bowl champion 49ers but later re-signed.

George Seifert, the 49er coach, said Liggins not only had a chance to make the team this season but was expected to challenge for the starting split end spot.

“I can do just about everything else the rest of my life,” Liggins said, “but football is just too risky. It wouldn’t be safe. It could happen again to the point where it could be fatal.”

Liggins said that when he first had the problem at Castle Park, it was because he had just caught a pass and landed on the ball when he hit the ground. “It was the impact that triggered it,” he said.

“But this time, I was just running (a pass pattern), and the guy who was covering me barely touched me. It just went off. Fortunately there were people there, and I was close to a hospital. What if it would have happened when I was out running somewhere and nobody was around?

“My heart is fine, they said. It’s just the electrical (impulses) seem to misfire.”

Liggins said the healing process for this type of operation is normally three months. “They told me I will be sore for about a month. Right now, I’m real sore from the operation. It’s real hard to sleep, and it feels weird when I walk around.”

Liggins plans to return to San Jose State in the fall to pursue a degree in sociology. He said he would someday like to get into counseling.