Lloyd Voss, a former first-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers who started with the Pittsburgh Steelers for six seasons, died Thursday.
Voss, 65, died in the Pittsburgh area from complications from liver and kidney failure, the Steelers’ Web site and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
Voss was the 13th overall pick out of Nebraska in 1964. He played two seasons in Green Bay as a backup defensive end — including the 1965 championships season — before coach Vince Lombardi traded Voss and receiver Tony Jeter to Pittsburgh for a first-round pick that was used on offensive lineman Bob Hyland.
Voss started at defensive end in Pittsburgh with Pro Football Hall of Famer “Mean” Joe Greene in the pre-"Steel Curtain" days.
“He was tough,” Greene said. “He was the guy who helped me run the stunts and I taught L.C. (Greenwood), and then we kind of got together. A lot of the stuff we learned from Lloyd.”
Voss played in Denver in 1972 before closing his career with one season in the World Football League.
“He was a big guy, very pleasant. Everybody got along with him. He was one of those guys you remember," former Broncos teammate Billy Thompson told the Denver Post.
Voss had a liver transplant three years ago, his daughter, Kristin, said, but had been in and out of intensive care several times since.
The Magnolia, Minn., native was inducted into the Nebraska sports hall of fame in 1996, and spent 26 years working for the Allegheny County Parks and Recreation Department upon his retirement from football.
He is survived by two daughters and a son.
Lawrence is a regular contributor to PackerReport.com. Send comments to steve_lawrence_packers@yahoo.com.