Tributes paid to NFL champion Roger Shoals after his death aged 86 as cause of death is announced

NFL champion Roger Shoals has died at the age of 86.

The former offensive lineman died on June 30 after complications from pneumonia.

Getty

Roger Shoals (No. 75) has died at the age of 86[/caption]

Getty

Shoals won the 1964 NFL Championship with the Cleveland Browns[/caption]

Shoals was a nine year veteran in the NFL, spending time with the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and Denver Broncos.

He was drafted by the Browns with a 16th-round pick in 1961.

Shoals was also drafted by the Dallas Texans of the AFL in the 1962 draft.

However, he decided to go to the NFL and play for the Browns.

That ended up being a great decision, as he won the 1964 NFL Championship with the team.

“That was heaven,” he told the Baltimore Sun in 2014.

“The league sent us our rings. I still wear mine all the time even though people look at this old man and think ‘What the hell is he doing with a diamond?'”

Shoals spent just two years with Cleveland before being traded to the Lions.

He then spent six years as the team’s starting left tackle.

Shoals was traded for a final time in 1971, landing with the Broncos.

He spent the final season of his career with the team before retiring.

Shoals played in 104 NFL games in his career, starting 70 of those.

He protected some legendary players, including Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown.

Hall of Famer Floyd Little also ran behind Shoals in the 1971 season.

Shoals lived through chronic pain following his retirement, and was part of an NFL settlement in 2013.

The league paid out former players over the long-term affects of head injuries.

Following his death, Shoals’ brain is to be examined for CTE by Boston University.

He is survived by his wife and two children.