PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Pete Retzlaff, a member of the South Dakota State and Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame, died Friday at the age of 88 in Pottstown, Penn. Retzlaff died of natural causes, according to a release from the Eagles. A native of Ellendale, N.D., Retzlaff played 11 years in the NFL, all with the Eagles, as a tight end, receiver and occasional running back, catching 452 passes for 7,412 yards and 47 touchdowns. A five-time Pro Bowler, Palmer “Pete” Retzlaff was the Eagles all-time leading receiver at the time of his retirement and his No. 44 is one of just nine jerseys Philadelphia has retired. He was a captain of the Eagles’ 1960 NFL championship team, a four-time All-Pro and later served as the Eagles general manager and as the president of the NFL players association. Retzlaff was drafted by the Detroit Lions out of SDSU in 1953 but returned to SDSU to work in athletics before spending two years in the Army. After his release he signed with the Eagles in 1956. In between his stints as Eagles general manager and NFLPA president Retzlaff spent two years as a broadcaster for CBS.
