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Former Colorado All-American and Super Bowl champion dies at 70

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jeff Hauser | Last updated Apr 15, 2025 3:50 PM ET

Former NFL tight end Don Hasselbeck, who won a Super Bowl in his nine-year career, died Monday. He was 70.

Hasselbeck, the father of former NFL quarterbacks Matt and Tim, died after going into cardiac arrest at his home.

"He was a great husband, father, grandfather, friend, coach, player, co-worker, artist, mentor, and storyteller," Matt Hasselbeck wrote on social media. "Despite being an All-former 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."

It is with deep sorrow that we share the passing of our father, Don Hasselbeck, who suffered cardiac arrest and passed away today. We want to thank our parents’ neighbors and all the medical professionals who came to his aid.

He was a great husband, father, grandfather,… pic.twitter.com/16WKtXHZYj
— Matt Hasselbeck (@Hasselbeck) April 15, 2025

Hasselbeck had a standout career in Boulder and was a second round pick by the New England Patriots in the 1977 NFL Draft.

In 1981, he started 14 games and led the Patriots with 46 receptions and 808 yards and six touchdowns. He was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders early in the 1983 season and was paired with Colorado's only Pro Football Hall of Famer Cliff Branch. The Silver and Black won Super Bowl XVIII over Washington.

Hasselbeck had 107 catches for 1,542 yards and 18 touchdowns in 123 career regular-season games.

Two of Hasselbeck's sons went on to play quarterback in the NFL, with Matt making three Pro Bowls and starting in the Super Bowl for the Seattle Seahawks following the 2005 season and Tim, now an analyst for ESPN, playing mostly as a backup.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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