Ronnie Hillman, who had stint with Vikings, dead at 31
Former NFL running back Ronnie Hillman died Wednesday from a rare form of cancer. He was 31.
Hillman, drafted in the third round by the Denver Broncos in 2012, spent part of his final season in 2016 with the Minnesota Vikings. He suited up for five games and had 18 carries for 50 yards along with four receptions for 43 yards.
"It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved son, brother & father, Ronnie K Hillman Jr.," Hillman's family announced on his Instagram page Wednesday. "Ronnie quietly and peacefully transitioned today in the company of his family and close friends."
Hillman entered hospice care this week. He was diagnosed in August with renal medullary carcinoma, a rare and aggressive form of liver cancer, his family said.
Hillman spent 2012-15 with the Broncos, winning a Super Bowl in 2015-16 when he rushed for 863 yards and seven touchdowns. He had 11 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings that season.
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.