Former Broncos RB Ronnie Hillman dies at 31 after battling rare cancer
Former NFL running back Ronnie Hillman, a member of the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 championship team in 2015, died Wednesday after a battle with a rare form of cancer, his family announced. He was 31.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved son, brother and father, Ronnie K Hillman Jr.,” a statement posted to Hillman’s Instagram account read. “Ronnie quietly and peacefully transitioned today in the company of his family and close friends. We as the family appreciate the prayers and kind words that have already been expressed. We ask that you would give us time to process our feelings as we prepare to lay our precious RJ to rest.”
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Hillman had entered into hospice care this week after unsuccessful treatment on a rare form of cancer with which he was diagnosed in August, the family said in a statement posted to the same account earlier Wednesday. Hillman had renal medullary carcinoma, “a rare but highly aggressive neoplasm form of cancer that primarily affects young African Americans with sickle cell trait.”
Hillman played five seasons in the NFL, including his first four with the Broncos. A standout at San Diego State University, Hillman was selected by Denver in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft, at No. 67 overall. His best season came during the Broncos championship season in 2015, when he ran 863 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season while sharing the backfield with C.J. Anderson. Hillman had four 100-yard rushing games that season, including a 117-yard, one-touchdown performance during the regular-season finale, a 27-20 victory over the Chargers that helped Denver clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
The Broncos’ statement on the death of Hillman: “We are deeply saddened by the untimely passing of former Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman. A key contributor to the winningest four-year period in franchise history, Ronnie was part of two Super Bowl teams and led the Broncos in rushing during our Super Bowl 50 championship season. Soft spoken with a warm smile and quiet intensity, Ronnie was drafted by the Broncos in 2012 and grew into a dynamic player and well-respected teammate. He will be fondly remembered by our organization, which extends its heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the Hillman family during this difficult times.”
After helping the Broncos win the Super Bowl, Hillman spent one more season in the NFL, playing for the Vikings and Chargers in 2016. He finished his five-year pro career with 1,976 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
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Hillman, who grew up in Long Beach, Calif., was just 20 years old when he joined the Broncos, making him the youngest player in the NFL at the time. He played two seasons at San Diego State, rushing for 1,532 yards and 17 touchdowns as a freshman and 1,711 yards and 19 touchdowns as a sophomore.
Teammates of Hillman’s with the Broncos and at San Diego State shared their condolences with the family on social media late Wednesday night.
“Fly high bro,” tweeted former Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, a teammate of Hillman’s in Denver for three seasons.
“Prayers up (and) rest easy brother,” Anderson wrote.
San Diego State coach Brady Hoke, who also led the Aztecs from 2009-2010, and SDSU athletics director John David Wicker shared memories of Hillman as well.
“Our deepest condolences go out to Ronnie’s family. Although I only got to coach him one season, I’ll remember him as a great teammate and hard worker,” Hoke said. “Ronnie always came to practice with a smile on his face, and his passion for the game was contagious. He’ll always be an Aztec for life.”
Wicker said Hillman had “recently been around the program offering wisdom and insight” and extolled the running back for helping “resurrect San Diego State football in his two seasons in 2010 and 2011.”
Hillman is tragically the second member of Denver’s 2015 team to pass away. Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas passed away on Dec. 9, 2021 due to complications from a seizure disorder.
More information on a memorial for Hillman will be forthcoming, his family said in its statement.
(Photo: Joe Amon / The Denver Post via Getty Images)
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