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Hall of Fame lineman Olsen dies


buddahj
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ESPN.com news services

 

Merlin Olsen, a Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman who was part of the Los Angeles Rams' famed "Fearsome Foursome" of the 1960s, has died after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 69.

 

Olsen, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma last year and had been undergoing chemotherapy, died Wednesday night, Utah State assistant athletic media relations director Zach Fisher said.

 

A Utah native, Olsen attended Utah State and, in his senior year with the Aggies, won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top interior defensive lineman.

 

Olsen was selected to 14 Pro Bowls and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1982. A first-round draft pick of the Rams in 1962, he remains the franchise's all-time leader in career tackles with 915.

 

Following his retirement from the game, Olsen flourished as a television actor, appearing regularly on "Little House on the Prairie" in the 1970s before starring in his own series, "Father Murphy," from 1981-83.

 

Olsen was part of the Rams' defensive line famously known as the "Fearsome Foursome" along with Roosevelt Grier, Deacon Jones and Lamar Lundy. Jones also is a member of the Hall of Fame. The line set an NFL record for the fewest yards allowed during a 14-game season in 1968.

 

RIP :wacko:

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He seemed like a genuinely good man, but was also a very athletic lineman.

 

Sabol tribute

 

 

How did he get mesothelioma?

 

Mesothelioma, more precisely malignant mesothelioma, is a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers many of the body's internal organs, the mesothelium. It is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos.

 

Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart,the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.

 

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways. It has also been suggested that washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos can put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma.Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking, but smoking greatly increases the risk of other asbestos-induced cancers.Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law).

Edited by Randall
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