David Little, a durable linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers who was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1990, died while weightlifting at home in Miami. He was 46.
Little had heart disease, and a cardiac fluttering on Thursday caused him to drop 250 pounds of weights on his chest, the coroner said yesterday. The weights rolled onto his neck and suffocated him, the coroner said.
Little was found by his sons, David Jr. and Darien.
Little played his entire 12-year career in Pittsburgh after he was drafted out of Florida in the seventh round in 1981. He started 125 of the 179 games he played for the Steelers and once played in 89 in a row. His last season in the NFL was 1992.
His older brother, Larry Little, was an All-Pro guard for the Miami Dolphins.
Little is also survived by his wife, Denise, his mother, daughter and four sisters.
-- From News Services
