Has anyone ever died on the field of an NFL game?

Yes in 60's

Yes

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I think the last was Chuck Hughes of the Lions c. 1972

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According to his Wikipedia article, he is the only NFL player to die on the field. Here's the relevant facts about his death from Wikipedia:

"On October 24, 1971 while playing for the Detroit Lions, he suffered a fatal heart attack during the final minutes of a game versus the Chicago Bears at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. He had run a pass route but was not part of the play, an incomplete pass intended for Lions tight end Charlie Sanders. He was jogging back to the huddle when he collapsed on the Bears' 15-yard line without contact.[2] Initially some thought he was faking an injury to stop the clock, but Bears linebacker Dick Butkus frantically signalled for help on the field.[5] It was obvious that he was in serious trouble, and the game was finished in near silence. His teammates were informed of his death before leaving the stadium. Hughes, as it turned out, suffered from advanced arteriosclerosis. The autopsy revealed that his coronary arteries were 75% blocked and that he had been done in by a blood clot that completely cut the circulation to his heart muscle.[6] and his family had a history of heart problems.[7] Hughes was buried in San Antonio, Texas, and all 40 of his Lions teammates attended his funeral, including head coach Joe Schmidt.[3] He is survived by his widow, Sharon Leah, and his son, who was 23-months old at the time, Brendan Shane.[2] A $10,000 trust fund was set up for his son Brendan by an insurance company.[8] His widow filed a $21.5 million malpractice lawsuit against Henry Ford Hospital in 1972 for not diagnosing his condition when he was hospitalized after complaining of chest pains. The lawsuit was settled on October 3, 1974 for an undisclosed amount of money.[9]
The Lions retired his number, 85, in his honor, and annually make an award to the most improved player in his name."

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I seem to recall one of the NFl players who was paralyzed, was not breathing but they were able to resuscitate him.

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Reggie Brown

I don't know about the NFL, but before the NFL was founded back in the 1900's, fatalities were common in football games.

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During the 1905 college football season the loosely regulated violent tactics of the era caused eighteen fatalities; that in a day when varsity squads generally numbered below forty and only a hundred or so colleges played. . . . .

Excessive violence and brutal tactics caused major injuries and damaged the reputation of the game. Even the Harvard-Yale rivalry, the sport’s premier event, suffered as a result of this harmful publicity. University administrations enforced a two-year hiatus after a disgustingly vicious spectacle in 1894. Through the 1905 season, as young men died unnecessarily on a weekly basis, college Presidents grew sympathetic toward public and press appeals for institutions of higher learning to drop football. . . . .

On October 9th, two days after the highly publicized brutal beating of Robert “Tiny” Maxwell in the Penn-Swarthmore game, Roosevelt hosted a meeting at the White House between the Presidents of Yale, Harvard, and Princeton. The public impetus this meeting gave the cause of reform grew in the following months. After the season, rule changes proposed by the University of Pennsylvania led to larger meetings between the representatives of more colleges in New York. In February 1906 colleges replaced the antiquated rule committee with a new body - the Intercollegiate Athletics Association of the United States (renamed the NCAA in 1910).

This move established a regulatory body to enforce the spirit of amateurism, maintain safety, and promote gentlemanly conduct. For all its ills, American college athletics would likely never have achieved such prominent, lasting, cohesive, and structured success without the NCAA. That organization might never have come into being without the leadership and applied political capital of a President who saw a popular and valuable national sport stranded in controversy and crying out for reform.

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LINK

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WR Darryl Stingley -- he died 29 years after the hit (by Jack Tatum)

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May not be what he was thinking of, as Tatum and Stingley never became friends.

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May not be what he was thinking of, as Tatum and Stingley never became friends.

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I didnt read his whole post -- just saw the first part and presumed he was thinking of Stingley

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I'm pretty sure the play involved a white and black guy

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maybe youre thinking of brians song

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During the 1905 college football season the loosely regulated violent tactics of the era caused eighteen fatalities; that in a day when varsity squads generally numbered below forty and only a hundred or so colleges played

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Dropping dead of a heart attack is a somewhat extreme way to stop the clock, wouldn't you think?

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with no timeouts it could cost them a 10 second runoff