Former San Diego Chargers running back, Chuck Muncie, has died at the age of 60.
Harry Vance “Chuck” Muncie died Monday evening of a heart attack according to a statement from the family.
His daughter, Danielle Ward, said Muncie was a great man, a loving father and doting grandfather to three.
"His work with at-risk youth, the Boys and Girls Clubs and his foundation were the things that really made him shine," Ward added.
The Chargers posted images of Muncie on to their Twitter account saying, "Very sad news of the passing of former Chargers RB Chuck Muncie. Our thoughts are with the whole Muncie family."
The star of the New Orleans Saints was traded to the Chargers in 1980. NBC Sports reports the he was even better in San Diego than he had been in New Orleans.
In 1989, Muncie was sentenced to 18 months in prison for selling cocaine but later turned his life around and worked with others struggling with addiction and young people facing the pressure to join street gangs.
Former San Diego Charger and NBC 7’s Sports Director Jim Laslavic played with Muncie and said he was one of the veterans he always looked forward to seeing when Bolts got together.
Muncie made such a remarkable turnaround, Laslavic said he once asked him what prompted him to change his life for good. Watch video
Sports radio talk show host Steve Adler had this to say about the Chargers running back, “Sad to hear Chuck Muncie passed. The few times I met him, he was a very humble man.”
The running back's former wife Robyn Hood said the former NFL star changed the lives of hundreds of kids.
"His most impressive work was done in the second chapter of his life where he lived his life with great transparency. His life became that of an open book. He simply wanted others to learn from his mistakes," Hood said in the family's statement.
Former COO of the Chargers Jim Steeg posted this update to Twitter Tuesday, “Lost a good friend, great player & person who used his struggles to help others straighten out their lives, RIP Chuck Muncie.”
The family asked that those looking to honor Muncie's memory support their local Boys and Girls Club or any other youth related program.
Muncie was a member of the 1975 Pac 8 Championship Golden Bears.
"We were Florida State and Miami of our era, without all the hype and the self-promotion," Muncie once said of his teammates. "We had so many guys performing at such a high level, nobody was concerned about their individual statistics. It's not like that anymore. That was a special football team."
Photo Credit: AP