Lions legend Charlie Sanders dies at 68 - Detroit Free Press
Actor Jeff Daniels emceed a tribute to Detroit Lions former owner William Clay Ford as Ford's widow and the team's current owner, Martha Firestone Ford (left) and other Ford family members listen at the pre-game tribute at Ford Field, Monday,... When Sanders' playing career ended in 1977, a year after he suffered a serious knee injury, he stayed a part of the organization, first as a broadcaster, then an assistant coach, and most recently — since 1998 — as a member of the personnel... "The Ultimate Lion," said Sanders' good friend, former Detroit Pistons star and former Detroit Mayor Dave Bing. The Ultimate Lion spent 43 years with the organization over parts of the last five decades, the longest tenure of anyone outside the Ford family who owns the team. On Thursday, Sanders died after a 7 1/2-month battle with cancer at the age of 68. "Today we lost one of the greatest Detroit Lions of all time," Lions president Tom Lewand said in a statement. "Charlie was a special person to the entire Lions family for nearly a half century. Source: www.freep.com
