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NFL Champion And 9-Time Pro Bowler Maxie Baughan Dead At 85

Maxie Baughan, a legendary NFL linebacker who suited up for the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins during his time in the league, died Saturday of natural causes. He was 85.

The Eagles franchise announced Baughan was surrounded by family members when he died in Ithaca, New York.

“On behalf of the Philadelphia Eagles family, I am saddened to learn of the passing of Maxie Baughan, one of our team’s all-time greats,” said Eagles CEO Jeffrey Lurie in a statement on the team’s official website.

“A member of the 1960 NFL Championship team as a rookie, he went on to earn All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors during his career while playing a tough, hardnosed style of football. Maxie’s induction into the Eagles Hall of Fame in 2015 solidified his legacy and recognized his contributions to the team. Our hearts are with his wife, Dianne, and all Maxie’s family and friends as they mourn his passing.”

Baughan was a standout player in college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets before being picked by the Eagles in the second round of the 1960 NFL Draft. The Oakland Raiders also drafted him in the AFL, but Baughan decided to play for Philadelphia.

He was named a nine-time Pro Bowler and was also an All-Pro selection.

In 1960, he helped lead the Eagles to an NFL championship. In total, Baughan played six years for the Eagles and another five for the Rams, and then the Redskins in 1974 for his last season. (RELATED: Former New York Giants Running Back Randy Minniear Dead At 79)

Baughan is inducted into both the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame and the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame.

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