The New York Jets announced Sunday night that Larry Grantham, a former All-Star starting linebacker with the Jets, had died at age 78.
Grantham was on the 1969 Jets Super Bowl III championship team, calling the defensive signals in a dramatic victory over the Baltimore Colts. He also was a member of the Jets’ Ring of Honor, a five-time AFL All-Star pick, and a five-time All-Star for the NFL.
Grantham was undersized for a linebacker at only 6 feet and 210 pounds, but he was known for his intelligence and tenacity, the New York Daily News said. He missed only seven games out of 175 total during his playing career.
The alumni director for the Super Bowl III team, Grantham retired in 1972 and became a broadcaster for WOR alongside Marty Glickman.
Grantham suffered with both throat cancer and alcoholism. He tried to sell his Super Bowl ring in 2009 to pay off medical bills, but Freedom House, a drug and alcohol facility in New Jersey for which Grantham did fundraising, raised money to buy the ring and presented it back to him.
A funeral for Grantham will be held Wednesday at First Baptist Church in his hometown of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, the Daily News reported.
Twitter users were sad to hear about Grantham and expressed their condolences and remembrances of him.
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