George Webster, 61; football star lost Supreme Court case

George Webster, 61, the battered former Michigan State All-American and pro football star who lost a U.S. Supreme Court attempt to have his NFL disability pension increased, died of heart failure Thursday in Houston.

A heavy smoker, he had battled throat cancer and prostate cancer in addition to heart problems.

Webster, a 6-foot, 4-inch, 225-pound linebacker at Michigan State in the mid-1960s, was the Houston Oilers’ first draft pick in 1967. He spent 5 1/2 seasons with Houston, a year and half with Pittsburgh and three seasons with New England.

“He was the prototype linebacker in the ‘60s and ‘70s,” former Oiler defensive end Elvin Bethea told KRIV-TV in Houston. “He could cover the whole field with great speed.”

In 1989, Webster applied for benefits as totally and permanently disabled.

He was found to have lost most of the use of a hand, foot, knee and ankle because of football-related injuries but did not meet the NFL’s definition of totally disabled.

In 1998, the Supreme Court let stand a finding by the NFL’s retirement board that Webster’s disability was not related to his football career. Football-related disability benefits are $4,000 a month; non-football disability monthly benefits are $750.

In 2002, Webster’s right leg was amputated above the knee.

A native of Anderson, S.C., Webster was most valuable player of the Michigan State Spartans team that went 9-0-1 in 1966. He also played on the 1965 team that went 10-0 in the regular season and then lost, 14-12, to UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Webster was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.