Daryl Sanders, a lineman on the 1961 Ohio State football championship team and a first-round NFL draft pick, died from a heart attack on Oct. 5, his wife, Barbara, posted on her husband’s Facebook page. He was 84.
Sanders, who grew up in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, played for Woody Hayes at Ohio State. Future Michigan coaching legend Bo Schembechler was the offensive line coach when Sanders played for the Buckeyes. Sanders played right tackle on the 1961 Buckeyes team that the Football Writers Association of America ranked No. 1 in its final poll of the season.
Sanders was drafted by the Detroit Lions with the No. 12 pick in the 1963 NFL Draft and started at left tackle for them from 1963-1966.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Sanders retired from the NFL for a higher-paying job in sales. He opened up the Cadillac dealership in Columbus and later ran an internet consulting company. He also became a minister.
Sanders lived in Fort Myers, Florida, before he passed away.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Daryl Sanders, Ohio State football right tackle on 1961 championship team, dies
Reporting by Dan Aulbach, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
