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ASU football legend Curley Culp dies at 75

Culp's death was announced by his wife on Twitter Saturday morning

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Sun Devil Stadium during the Territorial Cup on Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. ASU won 38-15.


ASU legend and NFL Hall of Famer Curley Culp died of complications from pancreatic cancer Saturday.

The former defensive lineman announced earlier in November that he had stage IV pancreatic cancer. Culp, who was born and raised in Yuma, Arizona, was one of the greatest athletes the state has produced.

During his time at ASU, Culp became an All-American in football and won a heavyweight national championship for ASU wrestling. Both ASU football and ASU wrestling posted tributes to the Sun Devil legend on social media.


ASU honored Culp before the Territorial Cup by holding a moment of silence. Sun Devil fans offered their support on Twitter as well. 

Culp's professional career began in Kansas City where he played for seven years before joining the Houston Oilers for another seven years. With the Chiefs, he was a key member of the franchise's first Super Bowl victory. 

"His legacy will forever be remembered by Chiefs Kingdom. Our prayers are with his family at this time," Chiefs CEO and Chairman Clark Hunt said in a written statement. 

In 2013, Culp was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Fellow Hall of Famer and former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Andre Reed shared a video on Twitter of Culp's Hall of Fame acceptance speech and wrote about Culp's impact on Reed. 



 Reach the reporter at drodish@asu.edu and follow @david_rodish on Twitter.

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