Hall of Famer Don Hasselbeck Passes Away
April 16, 2025 | Football, Alumni C Club
All-America Tight End, Big Eight & Super Bowl Champion Was 70
BOULDER – University of Colorado Athletic Hall of Famer Don Hasselbeck, a tight end on CU's 1976 Big Eight champion team and nine-year National Football League veteran, passed away Monday in Nashville. He was 70.
Hasselbeck, who celebrated his birthday two weeks ago, suffered cardiac arrest Thursday night in Nashville, where he relocated to help his sons, Matt and Tim, both former NFL quarterbacks, coach the football team at the city's Ensworth High School.
Matt, his firstborn, issued the following statement on social media Monday night.
"He was a great husband, father, grandfather, friend, coach, player, coworker, artist, mentor, and storyteller. Despite being an All-American at Colorado and a Super Bowl Champion with the Raiders, we are most proud of the leader he was for our family."
"We have lost a truly great Buffalo who loved his alma mater and always enjoyed returning to Boulder," said CU athletic director Rick George. "It was a privilege to meet him last fall when he was inducted into our Athletic Hall of Fame. He was truly excited about the honor, and it was great to hear the stories he told about his days as a Buffalo."
"When I think about Donnie, what immediately comes to mind is that he was the epitome of the kind of person, player, teammate and friend … everything that you would want if you were talking about a true CU Buffalo," said teammate and his life-long friend, Dave Logan, who was his roommate for two years in the mid-1970's. "It was just a shock to hear this news, we just spoke last week. We go back over 50 years, both he and his lovely wife Betsy – I have a picture of Matthew rocking right after he was born (fall of '75). We spent a lot of time together, he often came down to Denver and stayed at my mom and dad's house many weekends. We always remained in touch, even when we both were in the NFL, and played together in a few of the old CU spring alumni games.
"Donnie was a great friend, a great teammate, tougher than hell physically," Logan added. "A big, lovable guy, but what a fierce competitor, and I mean fierce. A terrific player, but even a better person and family man. He will be sorely missed."
"So very sad as much as it was a total unexpected surprise," said Steve Hatchell, the longtime CEO of the National Football Foundation who was CU's co-sports information director during Hasselbeck's career. "Don was such a wonderful person, a leader all the time, and just so special to everyone. He had that presence that was so unique and as such, will be missed significantly. If you knew him, you treasured his friendship. There's a lot of sadness in Buff Nation."
"I am part of a thread group online with guys of the '70s, and the outpouring of teammates' love and respect for Don is unbelievable, said Jim Kelleher, who was on the Buffs with Hasselbeck for four years (both were selected in the '77 NFL Draft). "You often hear the phrase, 'old school,' but he was part of an era of college sports where people truly cared about one another, and those relationships would continue, and for us, that has been for 50 years. We were all very close, but it's what life – and football – was like then."
Hasselbeck was one of the top players in Ohio when Eddie Crowder recruited him. He would letter four years at tight end, as a freshman under Crowder (1973) and then three seasons under coach Bill Mallory ('74-76). He earned first-team All-American honors as a senior from The Sporting News, when he helped lead the Buffaloes to the Big Eight Conference title and a subsequent berth in the Orange Bowl. He was tabbed a second-team All-American his junior year by United Press International. Before his senior year, he was named to the prestigious Playboy Preseason All-American team. He was a two-time, unanimous first-team All-Big Eight performer as a junior and senior, with the Buffs compiling a 17-7 record over those two seasons; CU earned an invitation to the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl his junior year.
His 50 career receptions were the second-most by a tight end at the time in school history, with his 612 receiving yards third. He averaged 12.2 yards per catch and scored three touchdowns – all in his junior season, which all turned games around against Iowa State, Missouri, and Kansas. In the two bowl games, he caught seven passes for 102 yards (14.6 per) with a touchdown; five of those came against Texas in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, covering 84 yards; a 25-yard score put CU ahead at the time, 21-7, before UT rallied to win. In 1989, marking the 100th season of Colorado football, he was selected as an honorable mention member of CU's All-Century team.
He earned his degree from CU (Fine Arts '77) and was a two-time, second-team Academic All-American (junior and senior years). He is one of just three players in school history to earn first-team All-America, first-team All-Conference with first- or second-team Academic All-American and first-team Academic All-Conference honors in the same season when he was recognized as a senior in 1976.
He accomplished a rarity in his day, playing in both the Hula and Japan bowls after his senior season and catching touchdown passes in both. He made a 7-yard TD catch from USC's Vince Evans in the West's 20-17 victory, and a week later, Nebraska's Vince Ferragamo threw him an 11-yard reception for a TD in the Japan Bowl to help the West to a 21-10 victory.
A second-round selection by the New England Patriots in the 1977 NFL Draft (the 52nd pick overall), he played in 123 NFL games with the Patriots (1977-83), Los Angeles Raiders (1983), Minnesota (1984) and the New York Giants (1985). In those nine seasons combined, he caught 107 passes for 1,542 yards (14.4 per) with 18 touchdowns in the regular season, eight catches for 90 yards and two scores in eight playoff games.
In 1981, he led the Patriots with 46 receptions, hauling those in for 808 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 17.6 yards per catch. Traded after the opening game of the '83 season to the Los Angeles Raiders, he was primarily utilized for his blocking skills while sharing the field with the late Todd Christensen. He won a Super Bowl ring when Los Angeles beat Washington, 38-9; he blocked the Redskins extra point attempt.
After his NFL career, he opened an architectural design and real estate firm in Boston, designing and building custom homes. But he missed being involved in sports and moved on to Reebok, where in 22 years he had various management roles in sales and marketing, including launching its "cleated" business (football, baseball, and soccer cleats).
After retiring from that role, he became a full-time artist and sculptor and a volunteer coach, the first two seasons at Xaverian Brothers High School, coaching his grandson Henry who led the team to the 2023 state title and where all three of his sons -- Matthew, Timothy and Nathanael – starred in football and then went on to play at Boston College. (Henry is now a redshirt freshman at UCLA.) After relocating to Nashville, he volunteered at Ensworth High School, where last fall Tim was the head coach and Matt the offensive coordinator; another grandson, Taylor, was the starting quarterback of the undefeated Tigers' team.
Donald William Hasselbeck was born April 1, 1955, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduated from LaSalle High School, where he was an All-American. The second-tallest player in CU football history when he played (6 feet 8 inches, 250 pounds), he is survived by his wife of 50 years, Betsy; his three sons; and eight grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life is scheduled for this Tuesday, April 22, at Woodmont Christian Church (3601 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville). That is set for 1 p.m. CDT, with the burial and reception to follow at 2:30 at Harpeth Hills Gardens Funeral Home (9090 Highway 100, Nashville). The family is encouraging those who plan to attend to wear colors honoring Don and his artistic talents.
Hasselbeck, who celebrated his birthday two weeks ago, suffered cardiac arrest Thursday night in Nashville, where he relocated to help his sons, Matt and Tim, both former NFL quarterbacks, coach the football team at the city's Ensworth High School.
Matt, his firstborn, issued the following statement on social media Monday night.
"He was a great husband, father, grandfather, friend, coach, player, coworker, artist, mentor, and storyteller. Despite being an All-American at Colorado and a Super Bowl Champion with the Raiders, we are most proud of the leader he was for our family."
"We have lost a truly great Buffalo who loved his alma mater and always enjoyed returning to Boulder," said CU athletic director Rick George. "It was a privilege to meet him last fall when he was inducted into our Athletic Hall of Fame. He was truly excited about the honor, and it was great to hear the stories he told about his days as a Buffalo."
"When I think about Donnie, what immediately comes to mind is that he was the epitome of the kind of person, player, teammate and friend … everything that you would want if you were talking about a true CU Buffalo," said teammate and his life-long friend, Dave Logan, who was his roommate for two years in the mid-1970's. "It was just a shock to hear this news, we just spoke last week. We go back over 50 years, both he and his lovely wife Betsy – I have a picture of Matthew rocking right after he was born (fall of '75). We spent a lot of time together, he often came down to Denver and stayed at my mom and dad's house many weekends. We always remained in touch, even when we both were in the NFL, and played together in a few of the old CU spring alumni games.
"Donnie was a great friend, a great teammate, tougher than hell physically," Logan added. "A big, lovable guy, but what a fierce competitor, and I mean fierce. A terrific player, but even a better person and family man. He will be sorely missed."
"So very sad as much as it was a total unexpected surprise," said Steve Hatchell, the longtime CEO of the National Football Foundation who was CU's co-sports information director during Hasselbeck's career. "Don was such a wonderful person, a leader all the time, and just so special to everyone. He had that presence that was so unique and as such, will be missed significantly. If you knew him, you treasured his friendship. There's a lot of sadness in Buff Nation."
"I am part of a thread group online with guys of the '70s, and the outpouring of teammates' love and respect for Don is unbelievable, said Jim Kelleher, who was on the Buffs with Hasselbeck for four years (both were selected in the '77 NFL Draft). "You often hear the phrase, 'old school,' but he was part of an era of college sports where people truly cared about one another, and those relationships would continue, and for us, that has been for 50 years. We were all very close, but it's what life – and football – was like then."
Hasselbeck was one of the top players in Ohio when Eddie Crowder recruited him. He would letter four years at tight end, as a freshman under Crowder (1973) and then three seasons under coach Bill Mallory ('74-76). He earned first-team All-American honors as a senior from The Sporting News, when he helped lead the Buffaloes to the Big Eight Conference title and a subsequent berth in the Orange Bowl. He was tabbed a second-team All-American his junior year by United Press International. Before his senior year, he was named to the prestigious Playboy Preseason All-American team. He was a two-time, unanimous first-team All-Big Eight performer as a junior and senior, with the Buffs compiling a 17-7 record over those two seasons; CU earned an invitation to the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl his junior year.
His 50 career receptions were the second-most by a tight end at the time in school history, with his 612 receiving yards third. He averaged 12.2 yards per catch and scored three touchdowns – all in his junior season, which all turned games around against Iowa State, Missouri, and Kansas. In the two bowl games, he caught seven passes for 102 yards (14.6 per) with a touchdown; five of those came against Texas in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, covering 84 yards; a 25-yard score put CU ahead at the time, 21-7, before UT rallied to win. In 1989, marking the 100th season of Colorado football, he was selected as an honorable mention member of CU's All-Century team.
He earned his degree from CU (Fine Arts '77) and was a two-time, second-team Academic All-American (junior and senior years). He is one of just three players in school history to earn first-team All-America, first-team All-Conference with first- or second-team Academic All-American and first-team Academic All-Conference honors in the same season when he was recognized as a senior in 1976.
He accomplished a rarity in his day, playing in both the Hula and Japan bowls after his senior season and catching touchdown passes in both. He made a 7-yard TD catch from USC's Vince Evans in the West's 20-17 victory, and a week later, Nebraska's Vince Ferragamo threw him an 11-yard reception for a TD in the Japan Bowl to help the West to a 21-10 victory.
A second-round selection by the New England Patriots in the 1977 NFL Draft (the 52nd pick overall), he played in 123 NFL games with the Patriots (1977-83), Los Angeles Raiders (1983), Minnesota (1984) and the New York Giants (1985). In those nine seasons combined, he caught 107 passes for 1,542 yards (14.4 per) with 18 touchdowns in the regular season, eight catches for 90 yards and two scores in eight playoff games.
In 1981, he led the Patriots with 46 receptions, hauling those in for 808 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 17.6 yards per catch. Traded after the opening game of the '83 season to the Los Angeles Raiders, he was primarily utilized for his blocking skills while sharing the field with the late Todd Christensen. He won a Super Bowl ring when Los Angeles beat Washington, 38-9; he blocked the Redskins extra point attempt.
After his NFL career, he opened an architectural design and real estate firm in Boston, designing and building custom homes. But he missed being involved in sports and moved on to Reebok, where in 22 years he had various management roles in sales and marketing, including launching its "cleated" business (football, baseball, and soccer cleats).
After retiring from that role, he became a full-time artist and sculptor and a volunteer coach, the first two seasons at Xaverian Brothers High School, coaching his grandson Henry who led the team to the 2023 state title and where all three of his sons -- Matthew, Timothy and Nathanael – starred in football and then went on to play at Boston College. (Henry is now a redshirt freshman at UCLA.) After relocating to Nashville, he volunteered at Ensworth High School, where last fall Tim was the head coach and Matt the offensive coordinator; another grandson, Taylor, was the starting quarterback of the undefeated Tigers' team.
Donald William Hasselbeck was born April 1, 1955, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and graduated from LaSalle High School, where he was an All-American. The second-tallest player in CU football history when he played (6 feet 8 inches, 250 pounds), he is survived by his wife of 50 years, Betsy; his three sons; and eight grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life is scheduled for this Tuesday, April 22, at Woodmont Christian Church (3601 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville). That is set for 1 p.m. CDT, with the burial and reception to follow at 2:30 at Harpeth Hills Gardens Funeral Home (9090 Highway 100, Nashville). The family is encouraging those who plan to attend to wear colors honoring Don and his artistic talents.
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