TEMPE, Ariz. — Curley Culp, a former star defensive football player for Arizona State University and a Pro Football Hall of Famer, has died Saturday after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 75-years-old.
Culp's death was announced by his wife, Collette Bloom Culp, on Twitter Saturday morning less than two weeks after Culp tweeted that he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Culp was born on March 10, 1946 in Yuma. He attended Yuma High School where he discovered his interest in sports.
At ASU, Culp played both offensive and defensive positions but made his mark on the defense side. With Culp leading the secondary, ASU held their opponents to just 103 yards per game. His performance as a Sun Devil earned him the honor of being named an All-American football player.
Culp was also a wrestling star at ASU, becoming Arizona State's first NCAA champion and winning the Gorriaran Award, the most coveted individual honor given to any college wrestler.
After being drafted 31st overall in 1968 by the Denver Broncos, Culp played in the AFL/ NFL for 14 seasons between the Kansas City Chiefs, the Houston Oilers and the Detroit Lions.
Culp won Super Bowl IV in 1970 with the Chiefs.
The former defensive tackle earned numerous honors and awards for his athletic talent such as being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013, the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2008, and earning the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1975.
Culp leaves behind his wife and two sons.
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