Vahan
11-13-2013, 01:20 PM
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/cougars/57123746-88/christensen-nfl-byu-football.html.csp
Former BYU football star, five-time NFL Pro Bowler, two-time Super Bowl champion and television sports analyst Todd Christensen died Wednesday morning during surgery at a local hospital.
Christensen, who has battled liver disease and other serious illnesses in recent years, was 57.
Former NFL star Todd Christensen and his son Teren, who suffers from spina bifida, take some time to solve jumble puzzles at the American Fork library in this 2001 photo.
Christensen was a four-year starting running back at BYU from 1974-77 before embarking on a standout NFL career as a tight end, primarily for the Oakland Raiders.
At BYU, he caught 152 passes for 1,568 yards and 15 touchdowns and was an all-Western Athletic Conference pick in 1977. He was inducted into the BYU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.
Drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1978 NFL Draft, Christensen’s pro career took off in 1982 with the Raiders, when he caught 42 passes for 510 yards and four touchdowns in the strike-shortened 1982 season. In 1983, his best season in the pros, Christensen caught 92 passes for 1,247 yards and 12 touchdowns.
His 349 catches from 1983-86 set at NFL record.
Christensen was went on to forge a post-football career as an NFL analyst for NBC. He was known most recently for his work as a college football analyst on the MountainWest Sports Network, a position he held until the network shut down in 2012.
In 2000, he was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, having starred in track and field and football in high school in Eugene, Ore.
Former BYU football star, five-time NFL Pro Bowler, two-time Super Bowl champion and television sports analyst Todd Christensen died Wednesday morning during surgery at a local hospital.
Christensen, who has battled liver disease and other serious illnesses in recent years, was 57.
Former NFL star Todd Christensen and his son Teren, who suffers from spina bifida, take some time to solve jumble puzzles at the American Fork library in this 2001 photo.
Christensen was a four-year starting running back at BYU from 1974-77 before embarking on a standout NFL career as a tight end, primarily for the Oakland Raiders.
At BYU, he caught 152 passes for 1,568 yards and 15 touchdowns and was an all-Western Athletic Conference pick in 1977. He was inducted into the BYU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.
Drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1978 NFL Draft, Christensen’s pro career took off in 1982 with the Raiders, when he caught 42 passes for 510 yards and four touchdowns in the strike-shortened 1982 season. In 1983, his best season in the pros, Christensen caught 92 passes for 1,247 yards and 12 touchdowns.
His 349 catches from 1983-86 set at NFL record.
Christensen was went on to forge a post-football career as an NFL analyst for NBC. He was known most recently for his work as a college football analyst on the MountainWest Sports Network, a position he held until the network shut down in 2012.
In 2000, he was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, having starred in track and field and football in high school in Eugene, Ore.