NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 22, 2005) -- Former punter Reggie Roby, a 16-year NFL veteran and three-time Pro Bowl selection, died after being found unconscious at home by his wife. He was 43.
Melissa Roby found her husband with no pulse. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him at home and in the ambulance, but he was pronounced dead in the emergency room at St. Thomas Hospital, according to a statement released by the family.
The cause of death is unknown, the statement said.
Roby was a sixth-round pick in 1983 out of Iowa by the Miami Dolphins, where he played from 1983-92. He also played for the Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston/Tennessee Oilers and San Francisco 49ers, where he wrapped up his career with a final season in 1999.
He led the AFC in 1991 with an average punt of 45.7 yards, and he still holds the Pro Bowl record with 10 punts in the 1985 game.
Roby, who had six children, was the marketing and development director for Backfield in Motion, a nonprofit group mixing athletics and academics to help boys in the inner city.
"Reggie was just a kid at heart," said Michael Brown, Backfield in Motion's chief executive officer. "Reggie was the ultimate package as far as I was concerned. In this type of work that we are in, there is no question that it was his calling."
