Former NFL running back Chuck Muncie dies at 60

Chuck Muncie made three Pro Bowls as an NFL running back. He likely would have made several more if his career hadn’t been derailed by drug use.

He has died of a heart attack at age 60, the New Orleans Saints confirmed Tuesday. He had turned his life around after his problems with drugs.

A star running back at Cal who was second in Heisman Trophy voting in 1975, Muncie was drafted third overall by the Saints the next year. After rushing for a career-high 1,198 yards and making his first Pro Bowl in 1979, Muncie requested a trade and was dealt to the San Diego Chargers during the following season.

Muncie was suspended for testing positive for cocaine in 1984 and never played in the NFL again. He went to jail in 1989 for selling cocaine and spent about a year and a half behind bars.

Muncie became a successful businessman after prison but also spent a lot of time working to help young people avoid making the mistakes he had made. He formed the Chuck Muncie Youth Foundation and also made himself available to speak with Cal athletes who might need his guidance.

“Everything I did and everything I went through in my life has allowed me to do the things I’m doing now,” Muncie told former Times columnist Jerry Crowe in 2008. “I’ve been able to tell these guys, ‘Been there, done that, and if you keep doing these things, this is what’s going to happen.’”

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