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Reports: Coronavirus claims life of Hall of Famer Fred Dean at 68

Barry Werner
·2 min read

A tragic loss for sports due to Covid-19. According to reports, Pro Football Hall of Famer Fred Dean has died after battling the coronavirus. Dean was 68.

Former great 49ers DB Dwight Hicks posted last week on Facebook that Dean was battling the dreaded disease.

“I just learned that my 49er teammate Fred Dean was taken to the hospital and is on a ventilator in intensive care. I’m sending healing light to Fred, his wife Pam, and his family. I trust you all are taken (sic) this virus seriously. Be well and stay safe.”

https://twitter.com/annkillion/status/1314376558367309824?s=20

Dean was a second-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech by the Chargers in 1975.

He played seven seasons with the Chargers. In all, Dean had an 11-year career, winning two Super Bowls (1981, ’84), earning the NFC Defensive Player of the Year award in 1981 and posting a career-high 17.5 sacks in 1983.

A four-time Pro Bowler played through 1985 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2009 Dean was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame

Sacks did not become an official NFL statistic until the 1982 season. However, Dean would notch 17.5 sacks in 1983 in earning a fourth Pro Bowl selection. His six sacks against the New Orleans Saints that season set a record for most in a game at the time. Derrick Thomas currently holds the record with seven.