Awww.

I loved him on King of the Hill, hoss.

Funny how our age affects these things...I remember learning in the mid 70s, "oh, the guy from the iced tea commercials played football?"

Here's my age showing . . . I'm shocked this former athlete died as young as age 72.

Yeah, 72 all of a sudden does not seem old. My dad died at 45 - I was 18. Back then, people were commenting how young that was to die, and to me, then, 45 may as well have been 95.

Now that 45 is far in my rear-view mirror, I have a slightly different take.

Condolences to his family and fans.

Regarding "as young as age 72," former NFL players have a pretty short life expectancy, depending on their positions. The average is 55, 52 for the big linemen. Quarterbacks generally live longer, but 72 is a ripe old age for a gridiron great. Well lived, Mr. Meredith.