Detroit Lions

Former Lions LB and broadcaster Wayne Walker dies at 80

Published May. 19, 2017 7:04 p.m. ET

DETROIT (AP) Wayne Walker, a Pro Bowl linebacker for the Detroit Lions and broadcaster, has died. He was 80.

The Lions say Walker died Friday. Walker said in 2015 he had Parkinson's disease.

''Wayne was one of our finest players from the decade of the 60s and will not only be remembered for his career accomplishments as a Lion, but also for his great success as a broadcaster after his playing days were over,'' Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford said in a team statement.

The former Idaho standout set a team record by playing in 200 games. The mark stood until kicker Jason Hanson surpassed it in 2004. The three-time Pro Bowl selection led the Lions in scoring three times as its kicker during his 15-year career.

Walker went on to be an NFL analyst for CBS and the San Francisco 49ers. He was sports director of San Francisco TV station KPIX from 1979-1994.

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