Death and legacy

In 1969, the Chicago Bears were in the midst of a 1-13 season, which was the worst record in the history of one of the NFL's oldest franchises.[3] Piccolo had finally earned a place in the starting lineup as an undersized fullback. During the ninth game in Atlanta on November 16th, he voluntarily removed himself from the game, something he had never done, which raised great concern among his teammates and coaches. He had extreme difficulty breathing on the field, so when the team returned to Chicago he was promptly sent for a medical examination, and was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor.
Soon after, Piccolo had surgery at Sloan-Kettering in New York City to remove the tumor. He had another surgery in April 1970 to remove his left lung and pectoral muscle. After being bothered by chest pain, Piccolo was re-admitted to the hospital in early June, and doctors determined the cancer had spread to other organs, most notably his liver. Brian Piccolo died on June 16, 1970, at the age of 26.
In 1980, students at Wake Forest, Piccolo's alma mater, began the Brian Piccolo Cancer Fund Drive in his memory. They raised money for the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Bowman Gray Medical Center of Wake Forest University. In addition, the Brian Piccolo Student Volunteer Program was established to provide undergraduates with an opportunity to work at the Cancer Center as volunteers.
In memory of Piccolo's accomplishments, the St. Thomas Aquinas High School football stadium in Fort Lauderdale is named after him. Also, at the end of every football game, the school's marching band plays "The Hands of Time", the theme from Brian's Song.
In 2006, Brian Piccolo's second cousin, also named Brian Piccolo, was a sophomore linebacker on the Plant High School, Tampa, Florida, football team which won the state championship in December.
Comcast SportsNet profiled Brian's legacy and the lasting impression he left in the June 2007 episode of 'net Impact.
Each season since 1972, the Atlantic Coast Conference has awarded the Brian Piccolo Award to the conference's "Most Courageous Player". In 2007, the recipient was Matt Robinson of Wake Forest, the fourth player from Piccolo's alma mater to be given the award. Since 1970, the Chicago Bears have also handed out an award by the same name to a rookie and (since 1992) a veteran who "best exemplifies the courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication and sense of humor" of Piccolo. The winners are chosen by the Bears' veteran players. The 2007 recipients were Brian Urlacher and Greg Olsen.
An Italian American Organization UNICO honors his memory each year by awarding the Brian Piccolo Award to courageous and outstanding athletes of Italian American lineage. In 2009 Brian's brother Don attended his first UNICO award ceremony in Rivervale, NJ, where he delivered a speech that left no eye dry. Brian was an inspiration and conitnues to be so.