Todd Christensen

The death of former Oakland Raider TE Todd Christensen was a footnote in the local paper's sports column. He joins the long list of former NFL players who died too young. His death at 57 came during surgery for a liver transplant.

He was a 2nd round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 1978 after playing running back at BYU. He broke his foot in Cowboy training camp and was placed on IR. He signed the following season with the Giants, but played in only one game.

Raiders owner Al Davis saw something different. He was converted to tight end and spent the next ten seasons in Oakland where he won Super Bowls in 1981 and 1984. He finished his career with 467 catches for 5,872 yards and 41 TD's. He also played in five Pro Bowls.

After his playing days, he became a color analyst for NFL and college games. He had been experiencing liver problems for the last two years which was traced to complications from gall bladder surgery 25 years ago.