Todd Jay Christensen (August 3, 1956 – November 13, 2013)
Salt Lake City, Utah (FoxNews) – Todd Christensen, the brawny tight end whose sure hands helped lead the NFL’s Raiders to two Super Bowl championships in the 1980s, died of complications following surgery in a Utah hospital.
Christensen’s son, Toby Christensen, said his father passed away Wednesday morning at Intermountain Medical Center near his home in Alpine, Utah.
Christensen was a devout Mormon who didn’t drink, and his family believes his liver problems started 25 years ago after a "botched" gall bladder operation, his son told The Associated Press.
The five-time pro-bowler, who amassed 461 receptions and 41 touchdowns in a 12-year career, most of which was spent with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, had battled liver disease in recent years, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
The Oregon native became one of the league’s top pass-catching tight ends after starring as a 6-foot-2-inch fullback at BYU. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1978, and later traded to the Raiders.
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