Harald Hasselbach, two-time Denver Broncos Super Bowl champion, dead at 56

The Denver Broncos announced the sad news that former defensive lineman Harald Hasselbach, who won two Super Bowl rings with the team, has died. He was 56.

The Broncos confirmed that Hasselbach died after a six-month battle with cancer. He passed away at his home, with his family by his side.

He played in Denver from 1994-2000, appearing in every game, regular and postseason, during that stretch. He also started 20 of them, including the three NFL playoff games that led to the Super Bowl XXXIII title.

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Harald Hasselbach (1994-00), a DE on our back-to-back Super Bowl teams who courageously fought a recent cancer diagnosis.

Our hearts go out to Harold’s wife, Aundrea, his four children & many loved ones.

📰: https://t.co/5KnN4lh1lC pic.twitter.com/mDgT3fYHEx

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 23, 2023

Hasselbach was born in the Netherlands and grew up in Tsawwassen, British Columbia. He played college football for the Washington Huskies, but rarely saw much action. He definitely was a late bloomer, but teams in the CFL couldn’t ignore this 6-foot-7 inch defensive end who could rush the passer if given the chance.

“Really my college years were in the CFL,” Hasselbach said in 2021. “I had the right kind of coaching, but I also had a different attitude.”

The Calgary Stampeders selected him in the fifth round of the 1990 CFL Draft. And then after four years there, he signed with the Broncos, where he spent the majority of his football career.

Hasselback is one of the few football players in history who can boast of rings won for a Super Bowl and the CFL’s Grey Cup. He played for the Broncos back-to-back titles in 1998-99. But the Grey Cup in 1993 set him up for an NFL team. In Calgary, his teammates included former Heisman winner Doug Flutie. By the time he arrived in Denver, the Broncos sported some of the best players in the game, including quarterback John Elway.

His survivors included his wife, Aundrea, and his four children and four grandchildren.