BEAUMONT, Texas, June 18 (UPI) -- Police in Texas say Mike Dukes, who played linebacker for the AFL's Houston Oilers in the 1960s, was killed in a traffic accident near Beaumont. He was 72.
Dukes' vehicle was hit by a truck that crossed the median on Interstate 10 late Tuesday, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Dukes, a college star at Clemson, played on the Oilers 1960 and 1961 championship teams.
Dukes became a gregarious fixture in the Beaumont area where he worked in sales for a valve company, the Beaumont Enterprise reported.
"He had never met an enemy," said Ed Burks, former owner of Burks Valve Co. "I think we lost a great person, not only a great football player."
Dukes is survived by his wife, Carol Jean, as well as six children and two stepchildren.
