In Need of a New Heart, Ex-NFL Star Turns to Online Crowdfunding

In 1960, wide receiver Gail Cogdill was elected Rookie of the Year in a rough-and-tumble old-school NFL. In 1962, he was the Detroit Lions' most valuable player. Now it's 2012 and, he says, he can only remain active for "two or three hours a day and then I have to lay down."

The reason? A failing heart that currently functions at just 18% of its optimal capacity. Despite a six-way bypass surgery and other operations over the past several years, if Gail doesn't act soon he won't live long.

Doctors recently recommended he get a mechanical heart transplant, which would require he remain near a battery most of the time and most likely keep him alive for a maximum of just a few years. At…
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