It is with deep sorrow that the Hasselbeck family has announced the passing of Don Hasselbeck, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend. A Super Bowl champion and All-American athlete, Don passed away after suffering cardiac arrest. He was 68 years old.
While many came to know Don Hasselbeck through his successful football career—most notably his time as a tight end for the Oakland Raiders, where he won Super Bowl XVIII—those closest to him remember a man whose greatest victories were not earned on the gridiron but in the quiet, consistent leadership of his family and faith.
A standout at the University of Colorado, Don was drafted into the NFL in 1977. Over the course of nearly a decade, he played for several teams including the Patriots, Raiders, Vikings, and Giants. But even as he thrived in the high-pressure world of professional football, Don never lost sight of his deeper calling: to be a loving husband, a steady father, and a man of unwavering faith.
Married to his wife, Betsy, for 50 years, the couple built more than a life together—they built a home on a foundation of love, prayer, and the teachings of Jesus Christ. The family shared that Don’s prayer journals, each carefully written in a rainbow of ink colors, contained the names and needs of his loved ones—and often, of friends and strangers alike. “Many of you who have known our father, have been thoughtfully prayed for in the pages of his journals,” they shared.
At 6 feet 7 inches tall, Don was a commanding presence, both physically and spiritually. A devoted coach, mentor, coworker, and storyteller, he had a unique way of making others feel seen and valued. Whether through a quiet word of encouragement or a booming laugh, Don left a lasting mark on everyone he encountered.
His children—who include former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck—spoke movingly of the solid ground their father gave them. “He helped set our feet on solid ground,” they wrote. “There is a 6’7” hole in our hearts. He will be so missed by so many. We are beyond grateful that he was our dad and look forward to Heaven and being all together again.”
The family concluded their tribute with a verse from Matthew 7:24–25, a fitting reflection of Don Hasselbeck’s life:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock… The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
Don Hasselbeck’s legacy will endure not just in trophies or records, but in the faith he lived, the family he loved, and the countless lives he touched.
