Former Denver Broncos defensive end Harald Hasselbach dies at age 56

Harald Hasselbach (YouTube)

According to Kasey Richardson of CBS Sports on Thursday, former Denver Broncos defensive tackle and defensive end Harald Hasselbach of Amsterdam, Netherlands passed away at the age of 56. The cause of death was metastatic mucinous adenocracinoma according to Mike Klis of NBC News.

Hasselbech played seven seasons with the Denver Broncos from 1994 to 2000. In 112 games, he had 154 combined tackles (119 solo tackles and 35 assisted tackles), 17.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

In addition to the regular season, Hasselbech also made his presence felt in the National Football League postseason. He played nine postseason games and had 16 tackles (12 solo tackles and four assisted tackles). Hasselbech also won two Super Bowls with the Broncos in 1998 and 1999. On January 25, 1998, the Broncos won their first Super Bowl in franchise history by beating the Green Bay Packers 31-24 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. It was considered the fourth best Super Bowl moment by The Sporting Base. The Super Bowl was memorable as it snapped a 13-game Super Bowl losing streak for teams in the American Football Conference. Then on January 31, 1999, the Broncos won their second of back-to-back Super Bowls. They defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida. Hasselbech had two solo tackles.

Hasselbech also had a strong Canadian connection. He attended South Delta Secondary School in Delta, British Columbia. He then played four seasons with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League from 1990 to 1993. While with the Stampeders, he won the 1992 Grey Cup as Calgary beat the Toronto Argonauts 24-10. Then in 1993, Hasselbech was a CFL All-Star. After his playing career, Hasselbech was inducted into the British Columbia Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

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