Sad news to pass along out of Tennessee.

The football program announced Thursday that Volunteer great and College Football Hall of Famer John Michels has passed away.

Michels was a standout on Tennessee’s 1951 consensus national championship squad an All-SEC selection in 1952 as a senior. Legendary coach Gen. Robert Neyland called Michels the “best blocking guard in the United States.”

After his Tennessee career, Michels played in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles (1953-56). A large portion of his post-playing days were spend as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Vikings (27 seasons).

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 and the University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.

Michels was 87.