Former NFL linebacker Steve Kiner died at the age of 77 Thursday, the National Football Foundation announced just hours before the 2025 Draft. 

Kiner was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970 NFL Draft out of the University of Tennessee. 

‘We are deeply saddened by the pᴀssing of Steve Kiner, a true legend of our game,’ NFF chairman Archie Manning said in a news release. No cause of death was given. 

‘Steve’s remarkable career at Tennessee was defined by toughness, leadership and excellence, and he leaves behind a legacy that extends well beyond the football field,’ Manning continued. 

‘We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and the entire Volunteer community.’

Kiner was a consensus All-American as a junior in 1968 and a unanimous All-American in 1969 when he was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He intercepted five pᴀsses that season and finished ninth in Heisman Trophy balloting.

Former NFL linebacker Steve Kiner died at the age of 77 Thursday

Kiner was a consensus All-American as a junior in 1968 and a unanimous All-American in 1969

He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970 NFL Draft out of the University of Tennessee

Kiner was a third-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 1970 and played eight NFL seasons. 

He had 19 sacks and 10 interceptions in 114 games (99 starts) with the Cowboys (1970), New England Patriots (1971, 1973) and Houston Oilers (1974-78).

Kiner was inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.

Following his career on the field, Kiner earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1994. He later established a mental health therapy practice in Carrollton, Georgia.

The news of Kiner’s death broke just hours before the NFL Draft began in Green Bay Thursday. 

During the event, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell paid tribute to another late football legend. 

Chicago Bears Super Bowl winner Steve McKinnon died Wednesday at the age of 67 following a battle with ALS.