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Charlie Powell, the San Diego sports all-star who was one of the first black NFL players and who later became a boxer and fought Cassius Clay, has died. He was 82.
His brother Jerry tells U-T San Diego that Powell died early Monday at a San Diego hospital after being treated for dehydration following a collapse at a hotel on Friday.
After graduating San Diego High in 1952 with 12 varsity letters, Charlie Powell turned down an offer to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. He briefly played professional baseball before joining the NFL when he was just 19 years old. He played for the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders.
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After retiring he turned to boxing, climbing to fourth in the world with bouts against Clay and Floyd Patterson.
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