Former Denver Broncos personnel executive Tom Heckert. Heckert died on Sunday at age 51. (AP) Former Denver Broncos front-office executive Tom Heckert died on Sunday night, the team announced on Monday. Heckert was 51 years old. Stepped away from Broncos to focus on health “The Denver Broncos are very saddened to learn that former personnel executive Tom Heckert passed away peacefully last night in the company of his family,” the team posted on its website. “Our deepest condolences and sympathies go out to Tom’s family — especially his mother Rose, children [Griffin and Madison] and former wife [Kathy] — his friends and the many people he worked with during his 27 seasons in the NFL.” Heckert spent five seasons with Denver as director of pro personnel (2013-16) and senior personnel adviser (2017), but left the team after last season to focus on his health, after being diagnosed with amyloidosis. Amyloidosis is a rare disease that occurs when amyloid, an abnormal protein produced in bone marrow, builds up in tissue or organs. Matt Millen, the former linebacker and Lions president, also is battling amyloidosis. ‘He had an eye for talent’ Heckert entered the NFL in 1991, as a college and pro with the Miami Dolphins. He left a decade later, having risen to director of pro personnel. Then he moved to the Philadelphia Eagles from 2001-2010, as director of pro personnel, vice president of pro personnel, and general manager. Heckert also spent three years as the Cleveland Browns‘ general manager before joining Denver in 2013. Denver suspended Heckert for one month not long after he was hired, after Heckert was arrested for driving under the influence and reckless driving. While Heckert was with the Broncos, the team went to two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl 50. “Tom was an integral part of our organization and we’re all incredibly saddened today,” general manager John Elway said in a statement. “With his many years of experience and time as a GM, Tom was a tremendous resource and a key member of our team. He was a very good evaluator — He had an eye for talent, and we always trusted his voice. “It’s easy to see why Tom was widely respected and had so many great relationships across the league. I’ll always be grateful for how he helped me transition into this position. My prayers go out to Tom’s family, friends and everyone he worked with during his career.” More from Yahoo Sports: • NFL HOF reportedly considering requiring inductees to show up • Dak Prescott on ‘Get Out’ mural: ‘Everybody has their own opinion’ • Terez Paylor: Tyrod good for Cleveland? Just ask the defense • Dan Wetzel: How Jim Tressel scandal sheds insight on Urban Meyer situation<doc-sep>Tom Heckert, a former right-hand man of Denver Broncos general manager John Elway, has passed away, the team announced Monday. He was 51. Heckert stepped down this offseason from his post as a senior personnel advisor, who reported to Elway and director of player personnel Matt Russell, to focus on his health. He'd been diagnosed with amyloidosis, a rare blood disorder in which amyloid proteins build up in the organs, though it was described as treatable. “Tom was an integral part of our organization and we’re all incredibly saddened today," Elway said in a statement. "With his many years of experience and time as a GM, Tom was a tremendous resource and a key member of our team. He was a very good evaluator—He had an eye for talent, and we always trusted his voice. It’s easy to see why Tom was widely respected and had so many great relationships across the league. I’ll always be grateful for how he helped me transition into this position. My prayers go out to Tom’s family, friends and everyone he worked with during his career.” “Tom hired me in Philadelphia and was a beloved friend for many years," Russell said. "The biggest thing with Tom was his loyalty, how he cared about his friends and how good he was at his job. Tom was one of the best because he combined exceptional player evaluation skills with his incredible network of connections around the NFL. Those relationships he formed are a testament to how well he treated everyone. Tom was a loyal friend and my heart goes out to his family.” Get access to Denver Broncos inside info, deep-dive analysis and in-depth film reviews! Don't wait – become a Mile High Huddle VIP subscriber today! Heckert entered the NFL in 1991 as a scout for the Dolphins, and worked in Miami for the next decade, making his way up to director of pro personnel. Heckert would assume the same role on the Philadelphia Eagles in 2001, building a Super Bowl roster as he rose to vice president of pro personnel before being promoted to Eagles general manager in 2006. Following the 2010 season, Heckert was hired to become the GM of the Cleveland Browns, but was fired following Jimmy Haslam's takeover of the club in 2012. He then joined the Broncos in 2013 as director of pro personnel, a role which he served in during the Broncos' trip to Super Bowl XLVIII and their triumph in Super Bowl 50. In 2017, Heckert was promoted to senior personnel advisor. Succeeding Heckert in his role is a familiar face: Gary Kubiak, the Broncos' head coach from 2015-16, is now serving as the lone senior advisor for the team.<doc-sep>ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Tom Heckert, a former personnel executive for the Denver Broncos who also served stints as general manager for the Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles, has died following a long illness, the Broncos said. He was 51. Heckert stepped away from the Broncos after last season after being diagnosed in recent years with amyloidosis, a rare disease that causes a buildup of amyloid proteins in the heart, kidney, liver and other organs. He died Sunday night. Heckert spent 27 years in the NFL, including the last five in the Broncos' personnel department. He was the teams' director of pro personnel from 2013-16 before becoming senior personnel adviser in 2017. "Tom was an integral part of our organization and we're all incredibly saddened today," general manager John Elway said in a statement. "With his many years of experience and time as a GM, Tom was a tremendous resource and a key member of our team. He was a very good evaluator. He had an eye for talent, and we always trusted his voice." Before coming to Denver, Heckert was the general manager for the Browns (2010-12) and the Eagles (2006-09). "We are saddened to learn of Tom Heckert's passing," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. "Tom gave everything he had to this organization for nine seasons and played a major role in the construction and success of our team during that time. In addition to being a talented evaluator and respected voice, he was a mentor and friend to so many within our organization and around the league. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and worked with him and our hearts go out to his family during this difficult time." The Eagles went to the playoffs seven times in Heckert's nine seasons in Philadelphia, winning five NFC East titles, making five appearances in the conference championship and reaching one Super Bowl. "Tom came to Philly in 2001 and made an instant impact on and off the field," Eagles GM Howie Roseman said in a statement. "He hired great people and his legacy is seen throughout the league in high-ranking front office positions and how many people today are talking about him and telling Heckert stories. Story continues "He took the time to help all of us get better and learn more about how to evaluate and build teams. His record as a GM was outstanding. When he worked here everyone wanted to be around him and listen to his stories about his time in the league and his experiences around the game. He was one of the first people to congratulate us all when we won the Super Bowl. Thoughts and prayers are with his family, including his kids." Heckert began his NFL career in 1991 as a scout with the Miami Dolphins, who promoted him to assistant director of pro personnel/college scout in 1999 and director of pro personnel in 2000. He was hired by the Eagles as their player personnel director in 2001 and was promoted to vice president of player personnel in 2003. His father, Tom Sr., worked for more than 20 years as an NFL player personnel executive before retiring in 2007. His time in Denver included three playoff trips, two Super Bowl appearances and a win over Carolina in Super Bowl 50. "It's easy to see why Tom was widely respected and had so many great relationships across the league," Elway said. "I'll always be grateful for how he helped me transition into this position. My prayers go out to Tom's family, friends and everyone he worked with during his career." Matt Russell, the Broncos' director of player personnel, worked with Heckert in Philadelphia and Denver. "Tom was one of the best because he combined exceptional player evaluation skills with his incredible network of connections around the NFL," Russell said. "Those relationships he formed are a testament to how well he treated everyone. Tom was a loyal friend and my heart goes out to his family." The Browns also released a statement expressing the organization's sympathy: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tom Heckert and share our sincerest condolences with his family and friends, including the many lives he impacted with the Browns organization and throughout the entire NFL during his established career." ___ More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/tag/NFLfootball and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL ___ Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton<doc-sep>Sad news out of Denver. Former Browns GM Tom Heckert has died after a heart attack. He was 51 years old. Tragic NFL news: Former Browns’ GM and Broncos’ senior personnel advisor Tom Heckert died, the Broncos announced. He was 51. Heckert passed away peacefully Sunday night in the company of his family — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 6, 2018 Heckert was the Browns general manager from 2010-2012 before joining the Broncos as director of pro personnel. With Cleveland, he was responsible for drafting Joe Haden and T.J. Ward, among others. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Heckert family and our Broncos brethren with this sad news.<doc-sep>
Tom Heckert, shown when he was GM of the Cleveland Browns, died at age 51. File photo Tom Heckert, the former general manager for the Eagles and Browns, died Sunday at the age of 51. The Broncos, where Heckert served as senior personnel advisor until he took leave due to health issues related to a blood disorder in July, made the announcement. "Tom was an integral part of our organization and we're all incredibly saddened today," Broncos president of football operations John Elway said in a statement. "With his many years of experience and time as a GM, Tom was a tremendous resource and a key member of our team. He was a very good evaluator — he had an eye for talent, and we always trusted his voice. It's easy to see why Tom was widely respected and had so many great relationships across the league. I'll always be grateful for how he helped me transition into this position. My prayers go out to Tom's family, friends and everyone he worked with during his career." Broncos director of player personnel Matt Russell added: "Tom hired me in Philadelphia and was a beloved friend for many years. The biggest thing with Tom was his loyalty, how he cared about his friends and how good he was at his job. Tom was one of the best because he combined exceptional player evaluation skills with his incredible network of connections around the NFL. Those relationships he formed are a testament to how well he treated everyone. Tom was a loyal friend and my heart goes out to his family." Before joining the Broncos in 2013, Heckert served as the Browns' general manager from 2010-2012 and before that, the Eagles' general manager from 2006-2009. He was originally hired by the Eagles as director of player personnel in 2001. Heckert began his NFL career with the Dolphins, where he was scout from 1991-98, assistant director of pro personnel/college scout in 1999 and director of pro personnel in 2000. He spent the last five years with the Broncos, where he worked as director of pro personnel from 2013-2016 and senior personnel advisor in 2017. According to the statement issued by the Broncos, "Heckert passed away peacefully [Sunday] night in the company of his family."