Don Hasselbeck obit

Former NFL tight end Don Hasselbeck dies of a heart attack at age 70

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Former NFL tight end Don Hasselbeck, who won a Super Bowl in his nine-year career and was the father of two NFL quarterbacks, died Monday. He was 70.

Hasselbeck’s son, Matt, said his father died after going into cardiac arrest at his home.

“He was a great husband, father, grandfather, friend, coach, player, coworker, artist, mentor, and storyteller,” Matt Hasselbeck wrote on social media. “Despite being an All-American at Colorado and a Super Bowl Champion with the Raiders, what we are most proud of is the leader he was for our family.”

The elder Hasselbeck was drafted in the second round by New England in 1977 after a standout collegiate career at Colorado. He spent six full seasons with the Patriots and led the team in catches in 1981 with 46, to go along with 808 yards receiving and six TDs.

He was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders early in the 1983 season and helped the team win the Super Bowl. He had two TD catches in the regular season for the Raiders and the 6-foot-7 Hasselbeck blocked an extra point in a 38-9 win in the Super Bowl against Washington.

Hasselbeck then spent the following season with the New York Giants and had a TD catch in a playoff win over San Francisco and finished his career with Minnesota in 1985.

Hasselbeck had 107 catches for 1,542 yards and 18 touchdowns in 123 career regular season games.

Two of Hasselbeck’s sons went on to play quarterback in the NFL, with Matt making three Pro Bowls and starting in a Super Bowl for Seattle following the 2005 season and Tim playing mostly as a backup.

He was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, and the New York Giants. He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes, earning second-team All-American honors in 1975. Hasselbeck was selected in the second round of the 1977 NFL draft. He won a Super Bowl with the Raiders in the 1983 season.

Hasselbeck was married to Mary Beth "Betsy" (Rueve) Hasselbeck. He was the father of former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, formerly the starter for the Seattle Seahawks. Matt played on the Seahawks with Lofa Tatupu, who himself was the son of Don's teammate Mosi Tatupu.

Hasselbeck's second son Tim Hasselbeck was an NFL backup quarterback who currently works for ESPN as a Fantasy Football analyst and is married to Elisabeth Hasselbeck. His third son, Nathanael Nicolas (born 1981), played wide receiver at Boston College and the University of Massachusetts.

Hasselbeck was the son of John William Hasselbeck and Molly M. (Lang) Hasselbeck.