Merlin Olsen, NFL Hall of Famer tackle, died early Thursday at a hospital in Duarte, Calif. He was 69.
Olsen’s brother Orrin, announced his death and said he had been treated for mesothelioma, a deadly form of lung cancer. Olsen was also a longtime color commentator for NBC’s pro football and Rose Bowl telecasts, working along side Dick Enberg.
Olsen also acted on television in NBC’s “Little House on the Prairie” and in his own series, “Father Murphy.”
NFL star, Deacon Jones, told The Los Angeles Times in 1985:
“Merlin had superhuman strength. If I was beating my man inside, he’d hold him up and free me to make the tackle. If he had to make an adjustment to sacrifice his life and limb, he would make it. A lot of the plays I made were because he or the others would make the sacrifice.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement after the passing of Olsen on Thursday.
Goodell said:
“Merlin was a larger-than-life person, literally and figuratively, and leaves an enormously positive legacy.”
Our thoughts and condolences go out to Merlin’s family.
