John Huard, who played linebacker for the Broncos from 1967-1970, has passed away at age 80.
Former Denver Broncos linebacker John Huard died at age 80 last week, the team confirmed on Monday evening.
After playing college football at Maine, Huard was picked by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 1967 NFL/AFL draft. He started 41 of a possible 42 games in his first three seasons in Denver, totaling six interceptions (tackles and sacks were not tracked as stats during that era).
After a knee injury sidelined him for the 1970 season, Huard joined the New Orleans Saints in 1971. After two seasons in New Orleans, he spent time with the New England Patriots before joining the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes in 1972. Following two seasons in Canada, Huard transitioned to coaching.
We’re saddened to hear of the passing of former Broncos LB John Huard, who played in Denver from 1967-1969.
He returned to his alma mater as an offensive line coach in 1974 before later coaching at a Canadian college, in the USFL, at the Maine Maritime Academy and in the CFL. His final season as a coach was with the Toronto Argonauts in 2000.
Investigators say a 36-year-old killed a 65-year-old using his own golf clubs to attack him.
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida — A violent altercation at a public golf course this week in Palm Beach Gardens left one man dead and another facing a first-degree murder charge.
Investigators say Junior Boucher, 36, of The Acreage, killed 65-year-old Brian Hiltebeitel, using Hiltebeitel’s own golf clubs to attack him Monday afternoon at Sandhill Crane Golf Club, a city-owned course along Northlake Boulevard west of Florida’s Turnpike. Boucher also choked Hiltebeitel.
During a news conference Tuesday, Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Dominick Pape said investigators are still attempting to determine a motive for the attack. Pape said Boucher did not appear to have a purpose for being at the golf course and there is no known connection between the two men.
“We’re still looking through the leads,” he said. “We’re still interviewing people at the scene. We don’t know (the motive) yet.”
During a court hearing Tuesday at the Palm Beach County Jail, county Judge Ted Booras assigned Boucher a public defender and ordered that he be held without bail. As a policy, the county Public Defender’s Office does not comment on open cases.
Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Dominick Pape addresses reporters on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, during a news conference regarding a homicide at Sandhill Crane Golf Club. One person was arrested on a first-degree murder charge.
Police: Man facing murder charge tried to flee after golf-club attack
Pape said Boucher’s family had reported him missing to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office about an hour before the attack, which occurred shortly before 1:30 p.m. Court records show the attack occurred on the same day that a relative filed an eviction notice against Boucher.
According to Boucher’s arrest report, officers responded to multiple 911 calls regarding a man attacking another with a golf club. Upon arriving, officers found Hiltebeitel’s body next to a pond at the golf course and made contact with a partially clothed Boucher as he attempted to flee.
The arrest report did not list a place of residence for Hiltebeitel.
Witnesses told police Boucher began hitting Hiltebeitel with a golf club near the first hole, then retrieved another club and chased Hiltebeitel to the pond. He continued to strike Hiltebeitel until both men were in the water.
Then Boucher jumped on top of Hiltebeitel and appeared to choke him, witnesses told police. A short time later, Boucher got out of the water, stripped his clothes off and began to walk away toward a nearby wooded area, according to the arrest report. Officers said they used an “electronic control device” to detain him.
First responders pulled Hiltebeitel to the banks of the pond and attempted lifesaving care. Fire Rescue medics pronounced him dead.
Authorities took Boucher to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center for evaluation. He declined to speak to investigators without an attorney present.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham.
“We’re saddened to hear of the passing of former Broncos WR Mike Haffner (1968-70),” the team said in a statement Thursday.
Mike Haffner, who played wide receiver for the Denver Broncos from 1968-1970, has died at age 82, the team announced on Thursday evening.
“We’re saddened to hear of the passing of former Broncos WR Mike Haffner (1968-70),” the team wrote on their Twitter/X page. “Following his career, ‘Haff’ returned to Denver as a local television sportscaster for KMGH-7.”
After spending one season in the Atlantic Coast Football League with the Hartford Charter Oaks, Haffner joined the Broncos in 1968. He spent three seasons in Denver, hauling in 59 receptions for 991 yards and seven touchdowns.
Haffner had a career year in 1969, totaling 35 receptions for 563 yards and five touchdowns in nine games.
We’re saddened to hear of the passing of former Broncos WR Mike Haffner (1968-70).
Following his career, “Haff” returned to Denver as a local television sportscaster for KMGH-7. pic.twitter.com/fPmjgEr7rm
Haffner spent the final year of his pro football career with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1971, playing in three games that season.
After hanging up his cleats, “Haff” quickly transitioned to commenting for NFL games on NBC. He later joined KMGH-7 (Denver7) and co-hosted the John Elway show in 1988.
Allen Aldridge died suddenly at age 52. A Broncos Super Bowl champion, Aldridge spent the last 20 years coaching high school football.
Former Denver Broncos linebacker Allen Aldridge died suddenly at age 52 on Sunday, his alma mater, the University of Houston, confirmed Monday.
An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death, Aldrige’s mother, Cleotha Aldridge, told Houston-area reporter Mark Berman.
Aldridge had been coaching Fort Bend Bush High School in Texas for the last 20 years after hanging up his cleats.
After playing high school football at Willowridge (Houston), Aldridge starred for the Cougars in college and was picked by Denver in the second round of the 1994 NFL draft.
He played for the Broncos from 1994-1997, totaling 230 tackles, two forced fumbles and 1.5 sacks in 64 games (45 starts). He was a 15-game starter in 1997 and helped Denver defeat the Green Bay Packers 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXIII that season.
Aldridge played four seasons with the Detroit Lions after his stint with the Broncos and ended his career with 482 tackles, 10.5 sacks, seven pass breakups, five forced fumbles and one interception in 128 games.
A 15-year-old Virginia high school student passed away during a break in football practice, prompting a change.org petition.
A 15-year-old Virginia high school football student and football player died on Monday after collapsing during a team practice, according to outlets including USA TODAY.
Hopewell High School sophomore Jayvion Taylor passed away due to a heart attack, his family told local news outlet CBS 6 News Richmond. About 40 minutes into what the team described as light drills during practice, the team took a water break and Taylor collapsed. Two coaches performed CPR while 911 was called, and paramedics transferred him to the hospital.
According to CBS 6, the new athletic training services were contracted to begin on Aug. 12. News viewers had previously emailed CBS 6 stating that the previous athletic trainer had been let go and not yet replaced.
A petition on change.org states that football practice was held during “extreme” weather conditions, with temperatures reaching around 90 degrees with high humidity. The petition claims the air conditioning system “was again broken.”
The petition made three demands: fixing the air conditioner, adjusting the phone policy that requires phones to be locked in pouches, and increasing transparency and communication to parents and guardians.
Taylor’s peers spoke glowingly of the teenager to news outlets.
From classmate Chase Stith: “It didn’t matter who you were. If you were one of the most known people of the school, or if you were somebody who wasn’t talkative, he would try to get to know you and understand you.”
Teammate Orrin Besley: “He was straight positive, like one of the best guys I’ve ever know.”
Former Broncos quarterback Steve Tensi has died at age 81. He started 30 games in the AFL era and two games after the club joined the NFL.
Former Denver Broncos quarterback Steve Tensi has died, the team announced Monday. He was 81 years old.
Following the Frank Tripucka era, the Broncos bounced between six quarterbacks before landing on Tensi in 1967.
Tensi was a signal-caller for the AFL’s San Diego Chargers before a trade brought him to Denver in 1967. From 1967-70, Tensi started 32 games over those four seasons for the Broncos. He finished his Denver career with a 10-21-0 record.
In 1967, Tensi set a career-high in touchdowns with 16, which is as many as former Bronco Russell Wilson had in 2022.
In 1969, Tensi ranked in the top five (of 10 AFL teams) in touchdowns (14) and passer rating. After the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, Tensi started two games to help the franchise transition to the new league. He threw the first touchdown pass for the Broncos in their NFL history. He retired at 28, due to several injuries.
After his professional football career, Tensi was a quarterbacks coach for Wichita State University and then coached wide receivers, an unusual move for former quarterbacks, with the World Football League’s Chicago Fire.
To read more about his football legacy, the Broncos put gave a wonderful memorial on their website.
Former NFL wide receiver Rod Sherman has died at age 79. He totaled 38 receptions for 661 yards and 3 touchdowns with the Broncos in 1972.
Former pro football wide receiver Rod Sherman died at age 79 on Thursday, the Las Vegas Raiders announced.
Sherman was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the fourth round of the 1966 NFL draft, but he chose to start his career with the Oakland Raiders, who picked him in the first round of the AFL draft that year.
He won an AFL title in his first season with the Raiders and then spent one year with the Cincinnati Bengals before returning to Oakland. After three more seasons with the Raiders, Sherman joined the Denver Broncos in 1972.
Sherman played just one season in Denver, but it was the best season of his career. He posted career highs in receptions (38), receiving yards (661) and touchdowns (three) with the Broncos in 1972.
Sherman then spent the final year of his career with the Los Angeles Rams in 1973 before retiring from the NFL. He ended his career with 105 receptions for 1,576 yards and five touchdowns in seven seasons.
Michael Roebuck, a 45-year-old first-year referee in Pennsylvania, collapsed during halftime of a high school basketball game and died.
Tragedy struck at a Pennsylvania high school when a referee passed away after collapsing during halftime of a boys basketball game on Friday, according to TribLive.
Michael Roebuck was a 45-year-old first-year official from New Stantion, Penn., according to the outlet. He was refereeing a junior varsity game between Yough (Herminie, Pa.) and Mt. Pleasant (Pa.) at the time of the collapse.
Roebuck was about to take the court for the second half of the game when he went to the ground, according to the outlet. Other officials were leaving the dressing room and ran to get help. Paramedics tried to resuscitate Roebuck for nearly an hour, TribLive said, but he died on the way to the hospital.
The game was suspended and the varsity game originally scheduled to take place immediately afterward was postponed.
Westmoreland County officials chapter assigner Bernie George spoke with TribLive.
“He was new, and I saw him recently and he said how much he enjoyed officiating. This puts what we do in perspective,” George said.
The cause of death is under investigation, according to TribLive.
Larry Zimmer’s career spanned over 500 Broncos games, including more than 20 playoff games and four Super Bowls.
Former Denver Broncos broadcaster and Colorado Sports Hall of Fame panelist Larry Zimmer has died at age 88, the team announced Sunday.
Zimmer was on the Broncos KOA broadcast team for 25 years, where he made several iconic calls from the booth when he began in 1971, ending in 1996. Alongside the Broncos, Zimmer also did the broadcasts for the University of Colorado Buffaloes. His career spanned over 500 Broncos games, including more than 20 playoff games and four Super Bowls. He also called over 1,000 Buffs games.
During and after his time as both a color commentator and play-by-play voice, Zimmer was a part of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame committee, a part of the Denver organization for 52 years.
In 2004, Zimmer published his book, “Stadium Stories: Denver Broncos: Colorful tales of the Orange and Blue,” where he told stories of his days in the booth, stories that the average fan may not even be aware of.
Zimmer is a member of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, where he was inducted in 2010. Fittingly, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame’s home resides within the home of the team he spent more than half a century calling games for, Empower Field at Mile High.
Former Broncos defensive lineman Harald Hasselbach, a two-time Super Bowl champion and a Grey Cup champion, passed away at 56 years old.
Devastated my friend & teammate Harold Hasselbach has left us much too early. A gentle giant of a man who was always so kind to me and my family, especially my kids. Praying for his incredible wife Aundrea & their four amazing children, Ashlee, Terran, Aven and Kian. RIP my… pic.twitter.com/9ftJNJjwvl
Former Denver Broncos defensive lineman Harald Hasselbach has died, the team confirmed Thursday. Hasselbach was 56.
Hasselbach died peacefully at home after a six-month battle with cancer, his family told the team’s official website.
Hasselbach was born in the Netherlands and spent time growing up in Indonesia and Kenya before playing high school football in Canada and playing college football for the Washington Huskies.
After being picked by the Calgary Stampeders in the fifth round of the 1989 CFL draft, Hasselbach went on to earn CFL All-Star honors in 1993 and win the Grey Cup in 1992.
After playing in Canada, Hasselbach joined the Broncos in 1994 and he went on to play seven seasons in Denver, winning back-to-back Super Bowls in the 1997 and 1998 seasons. He totaled 154 tackles, 17.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 112 games with the Broncos.
A member of the B.C. Football Hall of Fame, Hasselbach coached defensive linemen at Regis Jesuit High School in Colorado after hanging up his cleats.
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