58 years ago today, Todd Jay Christensen was born in Bellefonte, PA. He was destined to play football. With a 5'9" father and a 5'3" mother and 2 brothers, 5'10" and 5'6", there's no logical explanation to why he grew to 6 feet 4 inches tall. (he listed himself at 6'3" because he was worried they'd think he was too tall to play running back).

Living in Eugene, OR, he excelled in track, was an all-region basketball player, and was drafted by the Cleveland Indians to play right field. But football was his forte. He idolized the great Jim Brown. Coach LaVell Edwards offered him the last scholarship BYU had available for the fall of 1974 and, despite interest from the big schools in the Northwest, he honored his mother's wishes and went to Provo.

At Brigham Young he immediately made an impact. He started at fullback as a true freshman and held the spot for 4 years, leading the team in receiving 3 times and helping the Cougars play in 4 straight postseasons. Along the way he also met and married the beautiful, and talented, Kathleen Simmons.

After his BYU career, the Dallas Cowboys chose him in the 2nd round. After a year he found himself fighting to stay in the NFL bouncing from the New York Giants to the Oakland Raiders. Due to his special teams skills (mainly his ability as a long snapper) he found a home in Oakland. It took him a couple of years to escape the shadow of Raider great, Dave Casper, but eventually he made a name for himself as a tight end. As a Raider, he won 2 Super Bowls, led the entire NFL in receptions twice (one of only 2 tight ends in NFL history to do that), was the first NFL player to have 80 or more receptions in 4 seasons, was a 1st receptions by a tight end in 1983 and then broke his own record 3 seasons later. His 1983 season is arguably the greatest season by a tight end in NFL history. By fantasy football standards it stood as the best single season for 28 years until Rob Gronkowski's monster 2011 season. But the Patriots threw the ball over 100 times more than the 1983 Raiders and, unlike the Raiders, the Patriots didn't end up winning the Super Bowl.

Todd would stay close to football after his playing days, joining the broadcasting ranks in many different capacities for the next 25 years. He worked NFL games with NBC, including the greatest playoff comeback in NFL history when the Bills came back from 35-3 to beat the Houston Oilers. He was involved in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona working multiple events and venues. He worked with ESPN, the Mtn Network, and CBS College Sports doing college football games and was well known for his wit and massive vocabulary. In addition to broadcasting football games, he entertained audiences on a TV show called On-Stage America as the energetic host. He was a favorite with his recurring role on Sportslook and Up Close with Roy Firestone due to his open personality and willingness to share his opinion regardless of the popularity of his stance.

Despite his extensive resume, many Americans remember him best as the happy, long-haired host of American Gladiators for two seasons. He also enjoyed doing a radio show in Los Angeles and even tried out his acting chops as a guest star on the hit show, "Married with Children." He never shied from the spotlight and actually won a couple of Emmy Awards along the way.

His professional life is well chronicled. What many people may not know is that he was a father of 4 and grandfather of 6. His 4 sons all graduated from BYU just as he did. He and his wife Kathy were full-time care givers for their 4th son who was born with spinabifida. He spent hundreds of hours volunteering with charity groups such as the Childrens Miracle Network, Athletes for Youth, and the Special Olympics. He was a regular visitor at elderly homes and care centers, often times singing for residents just to see them smile. He was actually quite a gifted singer that played the lead role in a community production of "The Sound Of Music." He served and volunteered in his church his entire life.

He opened his home to strangers at Christmas and Thanksgiving. He's a member of the Utah Sports Hall of Fame, Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, Nike Hall of Fame, Sheldon High School Hall of Fame, and BYU Hall of Fame (and hopefully someday the NFL Hall of Fame https://www.facebook.com/pages/Todd-Christensen/107960419266411?ref=br_tf#!/notes/todd-christensen/todd-christensen-deserves-hall-of-fame-recognition/584688751588660 ). He coached youth sports and never turned down anyone asking him how to run better routes, catch the ball better, or develop a better workout routine. He spent countless hours with hopeful high school athletes, hopeful college athletes, and hopeful NFL athletes, helping them hone their skills.

He regularly called his oldest granddaughter and asked her to read to him. He took the entire 2003 year off from broadcasting so he could watch his son's senior season of football. He was constantly showing appreciation to others, something he instilled in his children. He donated countless dollars to charities and churches. He gave hundreds of speeches to youth groups, church groups, businesses, and more. One of best he gave was at the 2007 Sports Spectacular http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4jJwjPMRvc And when he passed away thousands of people shared stories of ways he'd touched their lives.

He was able to accomplish in 57 years, what most of us won't be able to get done in 80 years. He should be remembered more for what he did off the field than for what he did on the field. And today, August 3rd I'd like to say happy birthday to one of the greatest Raiders of all-time, one of the greatest Cougars of all-time, and one of the greatest fathers of all-time - Todd Jay Christensen.