NFL Hall Of Famer Passed Away This Morning

NFL Hall of Famer Curley Culp passed away early this morning, according to a statement released by his family.

The legendary nose tackle’s wife, Collette Bloom Culp, shared a message of her husband’s passing on his Twitter account Saturday.

“On behalf of our family and with a broken heart, I announce the passing of my husband, Curley Culp early this morning,” she wrote. “We respectfully ask for privacy at this time.

“… This account is now closed.”

After a standout collegiate career at Arizona State, Culp was selected by the Denver Broncos with a second-round (31st overall) pick in the 1968 NFL Draft. Traded during his rookie-year training camp, he quickly became a dominant presence on the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive unit. In just his second year, the Arizona native notched his first of six Pro-Bowl appearances. In his third year, he helped the Chiefs to a 1970 Super Bowl victory.

The best season of Culp’s NFL career came in his first full season with the Houston Oilers. Logging 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles, the superstar nose tackle was named the Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-Pro in 1975.

By the end of his 14-year NFL career, Culp had amassed 68.5 sacks through 179 games and 156 starts. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2013 class.

Our thoughts are with the Culp family through this difficult time.

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