Football News Headlines

2024

NOTE: The intent of the News Section is not to dwell on negative stories that are more suited to be found in the Police and Crime Section of your local newspaper, but to report and document stories that cover the entire realm of The World of Football. Chances are, you may not have seen some of these stories before.

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April

(Obituary) April 4, 2024 - Larry Beightol, a longtime coach in college and in the NFL, dies at the age of 81. Beightol started out as an assistant coach in college at William and Mary (1968-1971). He also coached North Carolina State (1972-1975), Auburn (1976) and Arkansas (1977-1978). He was the head coach at Louisiana Tech in 1979. His last stop in college was as an assistant coach at Missouri (1983-1984). Beightol then moved to the NFL where he was an assistant coach for over 20 years. He coached for the Atlanta Falcons (1985-1986), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987-1988), San Diego Chargers (1989), New York Jets (1990-1994), Houston Oilers (1995), Miami Dolphins (1996-1998), Green Bay Packers (1999-2005) and Detroit Lions (2006).  

(Obituary) April 3, 2024 – Mike Kolen, a linebacker in the NFL for seven seasons, dies at the age of 76. Nicknamed “Captain Crunch,” Kolan played college football at Auburn and was selected in the 12th round of the 1970 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He played his entire career with the Dolphins from 1970-1977, winning back-to-back Super Bowls with the team in 1972 and 1973. He was a member of the 1972 undefeated team. Kolen did not play in 1976.

(Obituary) April 2, 2024 – Jim Hopson, a former player and executive in the Canadian Football league, dies of colon cancer at the age of 73. Hopson played guard and tackle for the Saskatchewan Roughrider from 1973 to 1976. He went on to be the team’s first full-time president and CEO. Under his leadership, the Roughriders reached the Grey Cup Championship game four times in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2013. They won titles in 2007 and in 2013. Hopson was inducted into the Roughriders Plaza of Honor in 2018, the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Regina Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.

(Obituary) April 1, 2024 – Bob Bercich, dies at the age of 87. Bercich played college football at Michigan State and was selected in the 15th round of the 1959 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. However, he was waived by the team during training camp and signed with the Dallas Cowboys, where he played two seasons in 1960 and 1961.

(Obituary) April 1, 2024 – Vontae Davis, a defensive back in the NFL for 10 seasons, dies at the age of 35. The cause of death was not immediately known. Davis played college football at Illinois and was selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins. He played for the Dolphins from 2009-2011. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts from 2012-2017 and finished his playing career with the Buffalo Bills in 2018. Davis abruptly retired from the NFL in Week 2 of the 2018 season during halftime of a game between the Bills and the Los Angeles Chargers on September 16.

March

(Obituary) March 28, 2024 – Mike Mercer, a kicker and punter in the NFL and the American Football League for 12 seasons, dies at the age of 88. Mercer played college football at Minnesota and at Arizona and was selected in the 15th round of the 1961 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He played for the Vikings from 1961–1962. He also played for the Oakland Raiders from 1963–1966, the Kansas City Chiefs in 1966, the Buffalo Bills from 1967–1968, the Green Bay Packers from 1968–1969 and the San Diego Chargers in 1970.

(Obituary) March 28, 2024 – Jeff Jaeger, a kicker in the NFL for 12 seasons, dies at the age of 59. Jaeger played college football at Washington and was selected in the third round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played for the Brown in 1987 and then missed the 1988 season with the foot injury. Jaeger then signed with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1989 and played for the team through 1995 when the team moved back to Oakland. He finished his playing career with the Chicago Bears from 1996-1999.  

(Obituary) March 22, 2024 – Leo Sanford, a linebacker in the NFL for eight seasons, dies at the age of 94. Sanford played college football at Louisiana Tech and was selected in the eighth round of the 1951 NFL Draft by the Chicago Cardinals. He played for the Cardinals from 1951-1957. Sanford finished his playing career with the Baltimore Colts in 1958 and won an NFL title with the Colts.

(Obituary) March 20, 2024 – Carmen Cavalli, a defensive end in the American Football League, United Football League and the Continental Football League, dies at the age of 86. Cavalli played college football at Richmond and signed with the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League in 1960. He played just one season for the Raiders in 1960. Cavalli went on to play for the Wheeling Ironmen of the United Football League in 1962 and he also played for the Continental Football League’s Philadelphia Bulldogs in 1965 and 1966. He won a league title with the Bulldogs in 1966.

(Obituary) March 19. 2024 – Nathanial Dye, a guard, tackle and end in the Canadian Football League for eight seasons, dies at the age of 86. Dye played college football at Georgia. He signed with the CFL Edmonton Eskimos in 1959 and played for the team through 1964. He was traded to the Saskatchewan Roughriders during the 1964 season and finished his playing career in Saskatchewan in 1965.   

(Obituary) March 17, 2024 – Don Smerek, a defensive lineman in the NFL for seven seasons, dies at the age of 66. Smerek played college football at Nevada. He signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys in 1980 and played his entire career in Dallas from 1980-1986.

(Obituary) March 15, 2024 – Steve Tensi, a quarterback in the American Football League for six seasons, dies at the age of 81. Tensi played college football at Florida State and was selected in the 16th round of the 1965 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. He was also selected in the fourth round of the 1965 American Football League Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He signed with the Chargers and played for the team in 1965 and 1966. He also played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1967-1970.

(Obituary) March 13, 2024 – Alvin Haymond, a defensive back and kick returner in the NFL for 10 seasons, dies at the age of 81. Haymond played college football at Southern University and was selected in the 18th round of the 1964 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. He played for the Colts from 1964-1967, the Philadelphia Eagles in 1968, the Los Angeles Rams from 1969-1971, the Washington Redskins in 1972 and the Houston Oilers in 1973. He led the NFL in punt return yardage three times.

(Obituary) March 10, 2024 – Wayne Wilson, a running back in the NFL for nine seasons, dies at the age of 66. Wilson played college football at Shepherd University and was selected in the 12th round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. However, he ended up signing with the New Orleans Saints and played for the team from 1979-1986. He was traded to the Minnesota Vikings during the 1986 season. He finished his playing career with the Washington Redskins in 1987 and won Super Bowl XXII with Washington.

(Obituary) March 10, 2024 – Herbie Anderson, a defensive back in the NFL for one season, dies at the age of 55. Anderson played college football at Texas A&M-Kingsville and was selected in the tenth round of the 1991 NFL Draft by the Phoenix Cardinals. However, he ended up signing with the Houston Oilers and played in one game for the team during the 1991 season.

(Obituary) March 10, 2024 – Doug Blevins, a kicking coach in high school, college and the NFL, dies at the age of 60. Blevins was born with cerebral palsy, but that did not stop him from coaching football. He became the NFL’s first handicapped coach in 1994 when he worked for the New York Jets. From 1995-2000, he was the kicking coordinator for NFL Europe. He then spent several seasons coaching for the Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots. He worked with numerous NFL kickers, including Justin Tucker, Adam Vinatieri, Olindo Mare, and David Akers. Blevins also coached at East Tennessee State University in 2021 and 2022.

(Obituary) March 10, 2024 – Ernie Clark, a linebacker in the NFL for six seasons, dies at the age of 86. Clark played college football at Michigan State and was selected in the 13th round of the 1963 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. He played in Detroit from 1963-1967 and was then traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he finished his playing career in 1968.

(Obituary) March 9, 2024 – Dave Ritchie, a Hall of Fame coach in the Canadian Football League, dies at the age of 85. Ritchie was the head coach of three CFL teams; the BC Lions from 1993-1995, the Montreal Alouettes from 1997-1998 and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1999-2004. He won a Grey Cup title as the head coach of the Lions in 1994. He also won two more titles when he was an assistant coach with the Blue Bombers (1990) and the Lions (2006). Ritchie was inducted into the Winnipeg Football Club Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

(Obituary) March 9, 2024 – Roger Davis, a guard and tackle in the NFL for seven seasons, dies at the age of 85. Davis played college football at Syracuse and was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 1960 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He played for the Bears from 1960-1963 and won an NFL title with the team in 1963. He also played for the Los Angeles Rams in 1964 and finished his playing career with the New York Giants from 1965-1966.

(Obituary) March 8, 2024 – John Isenbarger, a running back and wide receiver in the NFL and the World Football League, dies at the age of 76. Isenbarger played college football at Indiana and was selected in the second round of the 1970 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He played for the 49ers from 1970-1973 and finished his short five-year playing career with The Hawaiians of the WFL in 1974.   

(Obituary) March 6, 2024 – Jimmie Browner, Jr., a defensive back in the NFL for two seasons, dies at the age of 68. Browner played college football at Notre Dame and was selected in the 12th round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He played both his seasons with the Bengals in 1979 and 1980.    

(Obituary) March 4, 2024 - Char-ron Dorsey, a tackle in the NFL for two seasons, dies at the age of 46. Dorsey played college football at Florida State and was selected in the seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He played for the Cowboys in 2001 and 2002 but was traded to the Houston Texans during the 2002 season.

(Obituary) March 3, 2024 – Chris Mortenson, dies at the age of 72. Mortensen joined ESPN in 1991 and was a regular contributor to the network's NFL coverage and on "SportsCenter." Mortensen was diagnosed with Stage 4 throat cancer in January 2016 and stepped away from his role at ESPN last year. Before coming to ESPN, Mortensen wrote for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution from 1983-1990. He covered the Atlanta Falcons, the MLB Atlanta Braves as well as the NFL. Mortensen also was a columnist for The Sporting News, a contributor to Sport magazine and a consultant with CBS Sports' "NFL Today" in 1990. He began his journalism career at the South Bay (California) Daily Breeze in 1969 and won the National Headliner Award for investigative reporting in all categories in 1978. He received 18 awards in journalism and was nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes in his career. He also was the author of the book "Playing for Keeps: How One Man Stopped the Mob from Sinking its Hooks into Pro Football." Mortensen, a native of Torrance, California. He attended El Camino College before serving two years in the Army.

(Obituary) March 1, 2024 – Andy Russell, a linebacker in the NFL for 12 seasons, dies at the age of 82. Russell played college football at Missouri and was selected in the 16th round of the 1963 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played his entire career with the Steelers from 1963- 1976 but missed the 1964 season while fulfilling his ROTC commitments in the Army. He won Super Bowls IX and X with the team.

February

(Obituary) February 27, 2024 – Dale Messer, a defensive back, wide receiver and kick returner in the NFL for five seasons, dies at the age of 86. Messer played college football at Fresno State and was selected in the fourth round of the 1961 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He was also selected by the 13th round of the 1961 American Football League Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He signed with the 49ers and played for the team from 1961-1965.

(Obituary) February 26, 2024 – Craig Roh, a defensive lineman in the Canadian Football League for five seasons, dies of colon cancer at the age of 33. Roh played college football at Michigan and signed with the BC Lions in 2015. He played two seasons for the Lions in 2015 and 2016. He also played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 2017-2019. He won a Grey Cup title with Winnipeg in 2019.

(Obituary) February 25, 2024 – Steve Okoniewski, a defensive lineman in the NFL for six seasons, dies at the age of 74. Okoniewski played college football at Montana and at Washington. He was selected in the second round of the 1972 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. However, he ended up signing with the Buffalo Bills where he played in 1972 and 1973. He also played for the Green Bay Packers in 1974 and 1975 as well as the St. Louis Cardinals in 1976 and 1977.

(Obituary) February 23, 2024 – Golden Richards, a wide receiver in the NFL for seven seasons, dies at the age of 73. Richards played college football at BYU and at Hawaii and was selected in the second round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He played in Dallas from 1973-1978. He won Super Bowl XII with the Cowboys. Richards finished his playing career with the Chicago Bears in 1979.

(Obituary) February 21, 2024 – Kent Kramer, a tight end in the NFL for eight seasons, dies at the age of 79. Kramer played college football at Minnesota and was selected in the ninth round of the 1966 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, He was also selected in the 13th round of the 1966 American Football League Draft by the Miami Dolphins. Kramer signed with the 49ers and played his rookie season with the team in 1966. He also played for the New Orleans Saints in 1967, the Minnesota Vikings from 1969-1970 and the Philadelphia Eagles from 1971-1974. He played in Super Bowl IV as a member of the Vikings.  

(Obituary) February 19, 2024 – Mike Falls, a guard in the NFL and the Canadian Football League, dies at the age of 89 due to complications of COVID-19. Falls played college football at Minnesota and was selected in the 20th round of the 1956 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. However, he was cut by the Giants at the end of training camp and ended up playing for the CFL Toronto Argonauts in 1956. He also played for the Dallas Cowboys in 1960 and 1961.   

(Obituary) February 15, 2024 – Fulton Kuykendal, a linebacker in the NFL for 11 seasons, dies at the age of 70. He was known to his teammates as Kaptain Krazy. Kuykendal played college football at UCLA and was selected in the sixth round of the 1975 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He played in Atlanta from 1975-1984 and was a member of the famed "Grits Blitz" defense. He finished his playing career with the San Francisco 49ers in 1985.

(Obituary) February 13, 2024 – Ken Ploen, a quarterback and defensive back in the Canadian Football League for 11 seasons, dies at the age of 88. Ploen played college football at Iowa and was named MVP of the 1957 Rose Bowl. He was selected in the 19th round of the 1957 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. However, he signed with the CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers and played his entire career with the team for 1957-1967. He won four Grey Cup titles with the team in 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1962. He retired after the 1967 season as the Blue Bombers all-time leading passer. Ploen was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1975, the Blue Bombers Hall of Fame in 1984, and he was added to the team’s Ring of Honor in 2016.

(Obituary) February 8, 2024 – Rod Sherman, a wide receiver in the NFL and the American Football League, dies at the age of 79. Sherman played college football at USC and was selected in the fourth round of the 1966 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. He was also the seventh overall pick in the 1966 AFL Redshirt Draft by the Oakland Raiders. He signed with the Raiders and played for the team in 1967. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968, went back and played for the Raiders from 1969-1971, the Denver Broncos in 1972 and the Los Angeles Rams in 1973.

(Obituary) February 8, 2024 – Michael Hicks, a running back in the NFL for two seasons, dies at the age of 51. Hick played college football at South Carolina State and was selected in the seventh round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He played for the Bears in 1996 and 1997.

(Obituary) February 6, 2024 – Chuck Dickerson, an assistant coach in the NFL and the Canadian Football League, dies at the age of 86. Dickerson coached for the Buffalo Bills from 1987 to 1991. He also coached under Levy in the Canadian Football League when the two were with the Montreal Alouettes. Following his coaching career, he became a sports talk radio host at radio station WGR in Buffalo, NY.

(Obituary) February 6, 2024 – Ken Fritz, who was a guard in college, dies at the age of 66. Fritz played college football at Ohio State and was selected in the 10th round of the 1980 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he never played in the NFL. He is best known as the player who held back Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes along the sideline late in the 1978 Gator Bowl after the legendary coach struck Clemson linebacker Charlie Bauman, who had just intercepted a pass from Buckeyes quarterback Art Schlichter. The punch led to Hayes being fired.

(Obituary) February 5, 2024 – Jerry Daanen, a wide received in the NFL for three seasons, dies at the age of 79. Daanen played college football at Miami and was selected in the eighth round of the 1968 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He played all three of his seasons with the Cardinals from 1968-1970.

(Obituary) February 4, 2024 – Tony Hutson, a guard in the NFL for four seasons, dies at the age of 49. Hutson played college football at Northeastern Oklahoma State University, an NAIA school, and signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys, where he played for three seasons, from 1997-1999. He finished his brief playing career with the Washington Redskins in 2000. His career was cut short due to a lingering knee injury.

(Obituary) February 4, 2024 – Rich Caster, a tight end and wide receiver in the NFL for 13 seasons, dies at the age of 75. Caster played college football at HBCU Jackson State and was selected in the second round of the 1970 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He played for the Jets for eight seasons, from 1970-1977, He then played with the Houston Oilers from 1978-1980. He signed with the New Orleans Saints in 1981 but was traded during the season to the Washington Redskins and finished his playing career there in 1982. He won Super Bowl XVII (17) with the Redskins.     

(Obituary) February 1, 2024 – Carl Weathers, the Hollywood actor who also played linebacker in the NFL and the Canadian Football League, dies at the age of 76. Weathers played college football at San Diego State and signed as a free agent with the Oakland Raiders where he played for two seasons in 1970 and 1971. He then played for the CFL BC Lions for three seasons, from 1971-1973. After his brief pro football career, Weathers went on to make many movies. He appeared in the first four “Rocky” movies as Apollo Creed alongside Sylvester Stallone as well as in the movie “Happy Gilmore” with Adam Sandler. One of his most recent roles was in “The Mandalorian” TV series.

(Obituary) February 1, 2024 – Alonzo Johnson, a linebacker in the NFL for two seasons, dies at the age of 60. Johnson played college football at Florida and was selected in the second round of the 1986 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played for the Eagles in 1986 and 1987. He then entered a drug rehabilitation program and never played again. Johnson was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2002.

January

(Obituary) January 31, 2024 – Terry Beasley, a wide receiver in the NFL for three seasons, dies at the age of 73. Beasley played college football at Auburn and was the 19th overall pick in the 1972 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He played for the 49ers in 1972, 1974 and 1975. His playing career was cut short by injuries. Beasley is one of three Auburn players to have his number (88) retired by the School, along with Pat Sullivan and Bo Jackson. Beasley was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002.

(Obituary) January 28, 2024 – Jim Furey, a linebacker in the American Football League and the Canadian Football League, dies at the age of 91. Furey played college football at Kansas State and was selected in the 13th round of the 1956 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. However, he chose to sign with the CFL Calgary Stampeders and played for the team in 1958. He also played for the CFL BC Lions in 1959 and 1960 and finished his brief playing career with the AFL New York Titans in 1961.

(Obituary) January 24, 2024 – Kelly Malveaux, a defensive back in the Canadian Football League, the XFL, NFL Europe and the United Football League, dies at the age of 47. The cause of death was not immediately released. Malveaux played college football at Arizona and went on to play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1999. He also played for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe that same year. In 2001, he played for the Orlando Rage of the original XFL as well as the CFL Calgary Stampeders. He continued to play for Calgary through 2003 before moving on to the Montreal Alouettes for two seasons, from 2004-2005. He also played three seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 2006-2008 and the Edmonton Eskimos in 2009. He finished his playing career with the United Football League’s Sacramento Mountain Lions in 2010.

(Obituary) January 24, 2024 – Bob Landsee, a guard and center in the NFL for two seasons, dies at the age of 59. Landsee played college football at Wisconsin and was selected in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played for the Eagles in 1986 and 1987. He went on to be the head coach of the Arena Football League’s Milwaukee Iron in 2010, the Milwaukee Mustangs in 2011 and 2012 and for two games with the Jacksonville Sharks in 2016.  

(Obituary) January 23, 2024 - Uga X, the University of Georgia bulldog mascot fondly known as Que, died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 10. Born May 27, 2013, he formally began his tenure in a collaring ceremony at the Georgia-Georgia Southern football game on Nov. 21, 2015. Que retired following the 2022 season after becoming the most decorated of all the Bulldog mascots. He compiled a football record of 91-18, presided over two SEC titles, the 2021 and 2022 College Football Playoff national championships, and seven New Year’s Six bowl appearances.

(Obituary) January 23, 2024 – Bruce Covernton, a guard and tackle in the Canadian Football League for five seasons, dies at the age of 57. Covernton played college football at Weber State and was selected with the first overall pick in the 1992 CFL Draft by the Calgary Stampeders. He played his entire career with Calgary from 1992-1996 and won a Grey Cup title with the team in 1992.

(Obituary) January 22, 2024 – Tom Nettles, a wide receiver in the Canadian Football League for two seasons, dies at the age of 79. Nettles played college football at San Diego State and was selected in the seventh round of the 1969 NFL Draft by the by the Kansas City Chiefs. However, he chose to sign with the CFL Edmonton Eskimos and played for the team in 1969 and 1970. After football, he became a pro golfer.  

(Obituary) January 21, 2024 – Jerry Wampfler, who coached in college and in the NFL, dies at the age of 91. Wampfler was an assistant coach at Notre Dame before becoming the head coach at Colorado State from 1970-1972. He went on to be an assistant coach in the NFL from 1973-1993 with the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, San Diego Chargers and Detroit Lions.

(Obituary) January 16, 2024 – Jerry Hilgenberg, dies at the age of 92. Hilgenberg played college football at Iowa and was selected in the fourth round of the 1954 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. However, he was also drafted into the U.S. Air Force, and he never played pro football. When he returned from military service, he became and assistant coach at Iowa from 1965-1963. He was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995.

(Obituary) January 15, 2024 – Ronald Powel, a linebacker in the NFL for one season, dies at the age of 32. The cause of death was not immediately released. Powell played college football at Florida and was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. He played one season in New Orleans and was then placed on Injured Reserve. He was later signed and released by the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks but never played in the NFL again.  

(Obituary) January 14, 2024 – Norm Snead, a quarterback in the NFL for 16 seasons, dies at the age of 84. Snead played college football at Wake Forest and was the second overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He was also selected in the fifth round of the 1961 American Football League Draft by the Buffalo Bills. He signed with the Redskins and played in Washington from 1961-1963. He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1964-1970, the Minnesota Vikings in 1971 and the New York Giants from 1972-1974. He was traded to the San Fransico 49ers during the 1974 season and finished his playing career with the 49ers in 1976. Snead was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.

(Obituary) January 13, 2024 – Art Baker, a college football coach in the 1970s and 1980s, dies at the age of 94. Baker was the head coach at Furman from 1973-1977. He was also the head coach at The Citadel from 1978-1982 and at East Carolina from 1985-1988. Baker began his college coaching career as an assistant coach at Clemson from 1965-1969 and at Texas Tech from 1970-1972. He also served as an assistant at Florida State in 1984. Baker was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.

(Obituary) January 11, 2024 – Richard Kaser, and end and halfback in the Canadian Football League for three seasons, dies at the age of 91. Kaser played college football at Toledo and was selected in the 17th round of the 1954 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. However, after spending a few years serving in the military, he signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He played in British Columbia from 1957-1958 and finished his brief football career the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1960.

(Obituary) January 7, 2024 – Wendell Harris, a defensive back and kicker in the NFL for six seasons, dies at the age of 83. Harris played college football at LSU and was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. He was also selected in the seventh round of the 1962 American Football League Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He signed with the Colts and played for the team from 1962-1965. He also played for the New York Giants from 1966-1967.

(Obituary) January 4, 2024 – Marty Amsler, a defensive end in the NFL for three seasons, dies at the age of 81. Amsler played college football at Indiana and was selected in the 18th round of the 1965 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. However, he signed with the Chicago Bears and played for the team in 1967 and 1969. In 1970, he spent time playing for both the Cincinnati Bengals and the Green Bay Packers.

(Obituary) January 1, 2024 – Frank Ryan, a quarterback in the NFL for 13 seasons, dies at the age of 87. Ryan played college football at Rice and was selected in the fifth round of the 1958 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. He played in LA from 1958-1961. He also played for the Cleveland Browns from 1962-1968 and won an NFL title with the Browns in 1964. He finished his playing career with the Washington Redskins in 1969 and 1970.