LSAClassOf2000

July 2nd, 2015 at 7:09 PM ^

I had heard about the discovery of cancer late last year, but I don't think there was much indication of how he was doing - at least publicly - after that. Very sad news indeed.

Not only did he revamp and revolutionize a position, he was not only a lifeling employee of the organization, but an excellent ambassador for the Lions on and off the field as well. 

Ray

July 2nd, 2015 at 7:31 PM ^

But man, it seems like he lived a life well lived. Great guy, NFL HOF, and 9 kids! RIP Charlie, we will miss you.

softshoes

July 2nd, 2015 at 7:59 PM ^

Fuck cancer.

Sometime in the mid 80s I came home from work only to find this big black guy and a little girl standin in my living room. I lived in Farmington Hills then and there weren't many black people around there then. He introduced himself as Charlie and told me that he was there to pick up his daughter who was playing with my daughter after school. It took me a minute but I finally recognized him. He was very gracious and polite even after my fandom kicked in. Thankfully he left before I truly got stupid.

Condolenses to his family and Lion nation.

Megatron

July 2nd, 2015 at 8:09 PM ^

My heart and prayers to his family & friends seem like a nice guy from TV. Should have been in the Hall Of Fame way sooner than 2007 but oh well glad he got in the hall.

I Bleed Maize N Blue

July 2nd, 2015 at 9:05 PM ^

RIP. Quality player, quality guy (at least from what I could see of him on TV).

When I was of football watching age in the early 70s, he was a good player on bad Lions teams. Though looking at records just before that time, they had decent seasons, relatively speaking, finishing 9-4-1 in 1969, and 10-4 in 1970, good for 2nd place behind the Vikings, who were better, 12-2 both years. No playoffs for them in '69, lost to Dallas in '70.

xtramelanin

July 2nd, 2015 at 10:07 PM ^

in a tough time.

as a football player he had unparalleled hands and really revolutionized the TE position.   i am old enough to have seen him play in tiger stadium.  in fact, i remember him being on the team that played the vikings in an absolute white-out blizzard.   funny thing, you could see the lion players (barely) in the snow wearing their home colors, but the vikings wore all white at that time except for their helmets.  all you could see was their purple helmets.

Zoltanrules

July 2nd, 2015 at 11:16 PM ^

Too young for a man who could go across the middle and battle Butkus. A better man off the field who was a legendary HOFer on the field.



Damn! We lost a great Detroiter.

rob f

July 2nd, 2015 at 11:26 PM ^

to a truly great man and great Detroit Lion.   By all accounts, as good a man as he was an athlete. 

What a set of hands Sanders had---I saw him make catches that nobody else could make back in those days---one handed catches, leaping grabs, diving catches, a lot of really acrobatic stuff (often out of necessity, as he seldon had talented QB's making those throws).  Like others have said, he turned the TE position into a true offensive weapon

alwaystrueblue

July 2nd, 2015 at 11:33 PM ^

getting old sometimes.   I will soon be 57....and when childhood heroes like Charlie Sanders die its always such a f***ing jolt.

I loved him as a player.   But an even better person.

RIP my hero.