Former Broncos defensive lineman Pete Duranko passed away on Friday at a hospice in Windber, Pa. He was 67.
Duranko had been battling Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, for more than 10 years.
Duranko played seven seasons for the Broncos from 1967-74 after being named an All-American at the University of Notre Dame in 1966. He started on the defensive line for the Fighting Irish in 1965 and 1966, winning a national championship in 1966.
“Pete was such a fighter," his wife Janet, who was married to Duranko for 43 years, told the Denver Post. “It was a blessing that he passed, because it was getting very hard at the end. He spent a lot of time over the last six months in hospice care."
Duranko was drafted by the Browns in the fourth round of the 1967 NFL Draft, but elected to play for the Broncos who were in the American Football League at the time. The Broncos drafted Duranko in the second round of the AFL’s draft.
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