All-Pro Denver Broncos running back and College Football Hall of Fame inductee Otis Armstrong has died at age 70, the Broncos announced Friday.
Denver made Armstrong the ninth overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft after he starred for three seasons at Purdue and earned first-team All-America status in 1972.
Armstrong led the NFL in rushing in his second year in the league, 1974, tallying 1,407 yards and nine touchdowns in a 14-game season. He was named an All-Pro for that effort and earned his first of two Pro Bowl selections.
The Chicago native spent his entire eight-year NFL career with the Broncos and recorded 4,453 rushing yards, 1,302 receiving yards and 32 total touchdowns.
“It’s a very sad day,” Armstrong’s former teammate, Haven Moses, told 9News in Denver. “Otis was a very special person. We had a very close team. Otis was a wonderful teammate, a wonderful running back. He’ll definitely be missed. He was part of a Bronco era that laid the foundation for the team’s success today.”
Armstrong was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012. When he finished his collegiate career at Purdue, his 3,315 career rushing yards stood as a Big Ten record.
