The wife of Curley Culp, a Hall of Fame nose tackle who played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Oilers, announced his death. He died at the age of 75.
In November, he announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer.
She used her late husband's account to announce his death.
Jim Porter, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, said in a statement that the entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Curley Culp. He was a man of great integrity who respected the game of football and how it applied to everyday life. Curley's humility and grace were obvious. He wore his gold jacket to visit the Hall of Fame many times after his election.
The Denver Broncos selected Culp in the second round of the 1968 draft, but he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs during training camp. During Kansas City's Super Bowl IV victory over the Minnesota Vikings, the team successfully tried out the 3-4 defense, which was new to the NFL at the time, and that's when Culp moved to nose tackle.
After six seasons with the Chiefs, Culp was traded to the Oilers. While playing in BumPhillips' 3-4 scheme, Culp was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year and made the All-Pro first team for the first time in his career.
During the 1980 season, Culp was picked up by the Detroit Lions after being released by the Oilers. After the 1981 season, he retired from the Lions.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted Culp in 2013). The Arizona native was named the state's greatest athlete in 2006 as part of the state's 100th anniversary. While at Arizona State, Culp was a star on the football field and also a champion wrestler.
