Dale Hackbart

Dale Leonard Hackbart (born July 21, 1938) played defensive back and special teams for 12 seasons in the NFL, suiting up for the Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Cardinals, and Denver Broncos between 1960 and 1973. He also spent time with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL in 1965. His career ended following a serious neck injury in the opening game of the 1973 season. Hackbart subsequently pursued a civil lawsuit over the incident, and the appellate ruling in his case established that athletes could sue opponents for reckless conduct causing injury during competition.