National Football League

Chargers: Gary 'Big Hands' Johnson dies at 57

Published Aug. 5, 2010 12:05 a.m. ET

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The San Diego Chargers say former defensive lineman Gary ''Big Hands'' Johnson has died. He was 57.

Chargers spokesman Bill Johnston says Johnson's son, Gary Jr., confirmed his father's death Wednesday at LSU Hospital in Shreveport, La., just more than two weeks after suffering a stroke.

Johnson, the eighth pick overall in the 1975 draft, played 10 seasons for the Chargers and became one of the most dominant defensive linemen in team history. He was a two-time All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler. His 17 1/2 sacks in 1980 remain a team record.

He was traded to San Francisco during the 1984 season, when the 49ers went on to win the Super Bowl.

Johnson, who played at Grambling, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Chargers Hall of Fame in 1999.

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