Longtime Lions stalwart Charlie Sanders dies at age 68

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DETROIT -- Hall of Fame tight end Charlie Sanders, who spent 43 years with the Detroit Lions as a player, coach, scout and broadcaster, has died after battling cancer. He was 68

Lions spokesman Matt Barnhart said the team confirmed through family members his death Thursday in a suburb of Detroit.

Sanders caught 336 passes for 4,817 yards and had 31 touchdowns in a 10-year playing career that began in 1968. He returned to Detroit in 1983 as a radio broadcaster, a job he held until joining the coaching staff in 1989.

After leaving the sideline in 1996, he returned to the radio booth for one more season, then was a Lions scout from 1998 until his death.

Sanders is survived by his ex-wife, Georgianna, and 10 children.

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Online:

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Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index

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