Rick Arrington

{{Short description|American football player (1947–2021)}}

{{Use American English|date=September 2021}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| image = Arrington-Rick-1972.jpg

| caption = Arrington in 1972

| position = Quarterback

| number = 11

| birth_date = {{birth date|1947|2|26}}

| birth_place = Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|09|07|1947|2|26}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/charlotte/name/richard-arrington-obituary?pid=200078780|title = Richard Cameron "Rick" Arrington Obituary (1947 - 2021) Charlotte Observer| website=Legacy.com }}

| death_place = Covington, Georgia, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lbs = 200

| high_school = Myers Park
(Charlotte, North Carolina)

| college = Georgia (1965–1966)
Tulsa (1967–1969)

| undraftedyear = 1970

| teams =

• Philadelphia Eagles ({{NFL Year|1970}}–{{NFL Year|1973}})

| statlabel1 = Games played

| statvalue1 = 17

| statlabel2 = Starts

| statvalue2 = 5

| statlabel3 = TD-INT

| statvalue3 = 3–9

| statlabel4 = Completion percentage

| statvalue4 = 47.5%

| statlabel5 = Passing yards

| statvalue5 = 950

| statlabel6 = Rushing yards

| statvalue6 = 58

| statlabel7 = Rushing TDs

| statvalue7 = 1

| pfr = A/ArriRi00

}}

Richard Cameron Arrington (February 26, 1947 – September 7, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).(wire service) "Reaves A Wealthy Eagle" St. Petersburg Times June 17, 1972, p. 1-C He played three seasons for the Eagles from 1970 to 1973. He played college football at Georgia and Tulsa.

Arrington was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, the son of Hazel (née Cameron; 1925–2013) and Richard Adler Arrington Jr. (1911–1977). Counted amongst the Arrington family's notable ancestors is William Farrar, a gentleman farmer.{{cite news|url= https://www.elle.com.au/celebrity/so-turns-out-the-fanning-sisters-are-royals-3452|title=So Turns Out The Fanning Sisters Are Royals|work=Elle Australia}}

Arrington was the father of former ESPN college football sideline reporter Jill ArringtonMartzke, Rudy. "[https://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/martzke/2002-08-13-martzke_x.htm Arrington does disservice to herself, other female journalists as pinup]". USA Today August 14, 2002. Accessed April 3, 2009. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515145039/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/martzke/2002-08-13-martzke_x.htm |date=May 15, 2011 }} April 3, 2009. and the grandfather of actresses Dakota and Elle Fanning. After 35 years of symptoms, Arrington was diagnosed with Stage IV CTE after he died.{{Cite web |title=Researchers Find CTE in 345 of 376 Former NFL Players Studied {{!}} Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine |url=https://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/2023/02/06/researchers-find-cte-in-345-of-376-former-nfl-players-studied/ |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=www.bumc.bu.edu}}{{Citation |title=15th Annual Concussion Legacy Gala |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y38K6eEkFvc |language=en |access-date=2023-02-07}} He was one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with this disease, which is caused by repeated hits to the head.{{cite news |title=The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) |website=Concussion Legacy Foundation |url=https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts |access-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702123543/https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |author=Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/sports/football/cte-study-concussions-brain-tackle.html |title=Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease. |work= The New York Times |date=June 20, 2023 |access-date=July 2, 2023 }}