DENVER (KDVR) — Former Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman, who helped the team win the 2015 Super Bowl, has died. He was 31.
The Southern California native’s family posted to his Instagram account about his passing.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved son, brother, and father, Ronnie K. Hillman Jr.,” the post read.
Hillman’s family left this message accompanied by a photo of the beloved running back smiling in his Broncos jersey
They revealed that he was diagnosed with Renal Medullary Carcinoma in August.
“RMC is a rare but highly aggressive neoplasm form of cancer that primarily affects young African Americans with sickle cell trait,” his family wrote in the post.
On Wednesday, Hillman’s family said his treatment had not been successful and he quietly passed away.
Back in 2015, he was a leading rusher for the Broncos starting 10 out of 16 games and running for 863 yards on 207 carries. Seven of those were touchdowns, according to Fox News.
Born in Long Beach, California, the running back grew up in Compton and became a football standout at La Habra High School in Orange County.
“It’s been in Ohio as early as the mid-1850s at least, brought in as an ornamental plant because of its unique foliage and white flowers,” Gardner said. “It was actually planted in people’s landscaping, and it has been spreading.”
He was a third-round pick from San Diego State in 2012. He spent four seasons with the Broncos before spending his 2016 season with the Minnesota Vikings and the then-San Diego Chargers.