NFL

Pete Lammons, ex-Jets tight end, dead after fishing tournament accident

Pete Lammons, a key member of the Jets’ Super Bowl III triumph, died Thursday in a boating accident in his home state of Texas. He was 77.

The former tight end, who was also on the 1963 University of Texas championship team, fell overboard at the dock and drowned while preparing for a fishing tournament in Brookeland, Texas, according to a press release from Major League Fishing.

An avid fisher, Lammons was a professional angler who was about to compete in the 57th MLF tournament of his career. His body was recovered by vessels using sonar, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

His nephew, Lance, told Jacksonvilleprogress.com that Lammons was fatigued from two stent surgeries he had undergone in recent weeks.

Pete Lammons
Pete Lammons, who played for the Jets in Super Bowl III, died in a boating accident on Thursday. AP

Lammons, who played with the Jets for six years, caught a touchdown pass in their AFL Championship win over the Raiders. He also caught a pair of throws from Jets legend Joe Namath in the team’s 16-7 upset of the Colts in Super Bowl III.

In 2018, Lammons attended the 50th anniversary reunion of the Jets’ lone Super Bowl team. He finished his NFL career, which included one season with the Packers, with 185 catches, 2,364 yards and 14 touchdowns.