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Coach: Former LSU standout, Denver Broncos WR Orlando McDaniel dies of COVID-19

An LSU track star and football standout who was drafted by the Denver Broncos, Orlando McDaniel is dead at 59. (Associated Press)
An LSU track star and football standout who was drafted by the Denver Broncos, Orlando McDaniel is dead at 59. (Associated Press)

Former LSU standout athlete and Denver Broncos wide receiver Orlando McDaniel has died of COVID-19 at 59 years old.

His track coach at LSU Dennis Shaver broke the news to the The Baton Rouge Advocate on Saturday.

“Orlando was a tireless worker for the youth in his area of (Dallas-Fort Worth),” Shaver told the Advocate. “His youth North Texas Cheetahs Track Club, year after year, developed many of the great athletes competing for universities throughout the United States.”

McDaniel’s success at LSU

McDaniel ran track and played wide receiver for LSU from 1978 to 1981. In four seasons on the football team, he caught 64 passes for 1,184 yards and three touchdowns. He was the national runner up in the 110-meter hurdles at the NCAA track and field championships in 1980, according to the Advocate.

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The Denver Broncos selected McDaniel in the second round of the 1982 NFL draft. He played a brief stint with the Broncos that lasted three games.

According to the Advocate, McDaniel fell ill after returning home to the Dallas area following a trip to Washington, D.C. and died Friday night.

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