Tennessee State University mourns the loss of Pro Football Hall of Famer Claude Humphrey, who passed away on Friday evening at the age of 77.
 
Mr. Humphrey was an All-American defensive tackle at TSU who went on to be one of the greatest passes rushers in the National Football League. Humphrey played for the Tigers from 1964 to 1967. He was initially an Offensive Tackle, but was switched to Defensive End in his freshman year, where he became a three-time All-American.
 
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

"I would like to extend my deepest condolences to Mr. Humphrey's family during this very difficult time," said director of athletics, Dr. Mikki Allen. "Mr. Humphrey was truly loved by his TSU family and across the landscape of football."
 
During his senior season at TSU, Humphrey played in four college all star games: the Senior Bowl, the Blue-Gray Game, the Coaches All-American Game and the College All-Star game.
 
Humphrey ended his collegiate career as the all-time leader in sacks at TSU with 39 and currently ranks fifth. 
 
He was selected in first round of the 1968 NFL Draft going third overall to the Atlanta Falcons. During his rookie season in Atlanta, he was name AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.
 
Humphrey played 13 seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons (1968-74, 76-77) and the Philadelphia Eagles (1979-81).

While with Atlanta, he was named All-NFL or All-Pro eight times and was selected to the Pro Bowl on six different occasions.
 
During the 1980 season with the Eagles, Humphrey totaled a team-high 14.5 sacks on the way to an NFC Championship and an appearance in Super Bowl XV.
 
"He played the game with passion and was a hard-worker in an era when sacks weren't an official stat. For that he was properly enshrined as a Hall of Famer as one of the original great pass rushers."

Even though the sack didn't become an official NFL stat until after he retired, Humphrey is still credited with 122 career sacks, including holding the all-time career sacks mark for the Falcons with 94.5
 
"His spirit will live on forever at Tennessee State as a gentleman on-an-off the field."

Humphrey is in the Tennessee State University Hall of Fame, the Georgia Hall of Fame, the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Hall of Fame, the Atlanta Falcons Hall of Fame, and his high school's Hall of Fame. Humphrey's college and high school both retired his jersey.