Former NFL great Tom Brookshier dies

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Former NFL star and CBS broadcaster Tom Brookshier has died after a lengthy bout with cancer. He was 78.

Brookshier died Friday night in suburban Philadelphia, where he lived for more than half a century.

The Roswell, N.M., native played seven seasons with the Eagles, was a member of their 1960 NFL championship team and his No. 40 jersey is one of only seven retired in Eagles history.

"Tom Brookshier is one of the all-time greats, both for what he did on the field and for the kind of man he was off the field," Eagles Coach Andy Reid told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "I will always cherish our conversations and the relationship that we fostered throughout my tenure in Philadelphia."

Brookshier, a University of Colorado product, was an All-Pro twice and his eight interceptions in his rookie season in 1953 remains a franchise record.

He was a CBS golf analyst in the 1980s and also teamed with former New York Giants great Pat Summerall in the 1970s on NFL games, also on CBS.