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.