Former Broncos Wide Receiver Sampson Dies

[Louis Cypher]

By Associated Press

December 29, 2005, 8:37 PM EST

DENVER -- Clint Sampson, a former wide receiver for the Denver Broncos in the 1980s who played an important role in John Elway's first fourth-quarter comeback, has died. He was 44.

Sampson died Sunday in a car accident in Los Angeles, said Linda Johnson, one of his five sisters.

Sampson, a third-round pick in the 1983 draft, appeared in 59 games -- starting 10 -- for the Broncos between 1983-86. He finished his career with 66 catches for 1,014 yards and eight touchdowns.

He was a member of the 1986 team that advanced to the Super Bowl.

On Dec. 11, 1983, Sampson caught the first of three fourth-quarter touchdown passes as Elway led the Broncos to a victory from a 19-0 deficit at the start of the quarter.

After his NFL career, Sampson worked with underprivileged children at places that included the Roundup Fellowship home in Denver and the Compton School District in Los Angeles, Johnson said.

Survivors include his sisters, and his wife Aundrea Evans-Sampson, who lives in Denver.