ATLANTA -- John Zook, who teamed with Hall of Famer Claude Humphrey to give the Atlanta Falcons a dynamic combination at defensive end, has died. He was 72.
His brother, Dean Zook, confirmed the death to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The former player died Saturday in his native Kansas after a long battle with cancer.
Initially a fourth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams out of Kansas, Zook wound up in Atlanta after a pair of trades, first to Philadelphia, then to the Falcons.
Zook was with Atlanta from 1969-75, lining up on the right while Humphrey held down the left side.