Ex-NFL TE Don Hasselbeck, father of former QBs Matt and Tim, dies at 70
Don Hasselbeck (L) played nine seasons in the NFL after he was a second-round draft pick of the New England Patriots in the 1977 NFL Draft. (Photo by Frank O'Brien/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
(Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Former Colorado and NFL tight end Don Hasselbeck died Monday. He was 70.
The father of ex-quarterbacks Matt and Tim Hasselback died of cardiac arrest, according to a social media post by Matt Hasselbeck.
'He was a great husband, father, grandfather, friend, coach, player, coworker, artist, mentor and storyteller,' Matt wrote. '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.'
'He helped set our feet our solid ground. Married to and in love with our mom, Betsy, for 50 years, they built their house on the rock of Jesus Christ. Our dad's prayer journals, in his meticulous handwriting and in a rainbow of pen colors, hold each of our names and need. Many of you who have known our father, have been thoughtfully prayed for in the pages of his journals.'
Don Hasselbeck was a second-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 1977 NFL Draft. He was the No. 52 overall pick and spent the first six seasons of his career with the Patriots before joining the Raiders just after the start of the 1983 season. That Raiders team went 12-4 in the regular season and defeated Washington 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII after taking down the Seattle Seahawks in the AFC title game.
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After playing that one season for the Raiders, Hasselbeck spent two more seasons in the NFL with the Vikings and Giants. His best season in the league came in 1981, when he had 46 catches for 808 yards and six touchdowns. He finished his carer with 107 grabs for 1,542 yards and 18 TDs over nine seasons.
In four seasons at Colorado, Hasselbeck had 50 catches for 612 yards and three touchdowns. As a junior in 1975, he had 22 grabs for 235 yards and had all three of those TD catches that season.
Both Matt and Tim Hasselbeck played college football at Boston College. Matt was a sixth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in the 1998 NFL Draft and went on to play 17 seasons in the NFL. He was the starting QB for the Seattle Seahawks for 10 seasons from 2001 through 2010. Tim Hasselbeck was an undrafted free agent who spent time with four teams over parts of four seasons in the 2000s and is now an analyst for ESPN.
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