Winston Hill, Former Jets OL, Dies at Age 74

Former New York Jets offensive lineman and 2010 Ring of Honor inductee Winston Hill died Tuesday at the age of 74, according to Randy Lange of the team's official website.

Jets owner Woody Johnson offered his condolences in an official statement relayed by the Jets' Twitter account late Tuesday evening:

Hill played 14 of his 15 professional seasons for the Jets, and he emerged as one of the game's premier offensive tackles during that stretch.

A member of the AFL Hall of Fame All-1960s Second Team, Hill was a staple of the Gang Green offensive line that protected quarterback Joe Namath en route to a Super Bowl III victory over the Baltimore Colts—who originally drafted him in the 11th round of the 1963 NFL draft.

"It was great to protect Joe all those years," Hill said in 2010, per Lange. "You come across great people in a lifetime, and he's one of them. He was a very special ballplayer and elevated everyone else's play."

All told, Hill appeared in eight All-Star Games—including four Pro Bowls, per Lange—and he still holds the team record for consecutive games played for an offensive lineman at 195.

ESPN.com's Rich Cimini put his durability—and that of the recently retired D'Brickashaw Ferguson—into perspective:

Hill was also renowned as a selfless player who had no problem switching positions for the good of Gang Green.

"Winston should be in the Hall of Fame," former Jets public relations director Frank Ramos said, per Lange. "Bill Parcells wasn't around him all that much, but Bill also said the guy should be in the Hall. He was a great pass protector at left tackle for Namath. Then when the Jets picked up Bob Svihus in 1971, Svihus could only play left tackle, so they asked Winston if he could move to right tackle."

Hill rounded out his career by playing one season for the Los Angeles Rams in 1977 before calling it quits, and he was eventually named part of the Jets' inaugural Ring of Honor Class at MetLife Stadium in 2010.

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.