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Ex-Detroit Lions OL Ed Flanagan, a 4-time Pro Bowler in the 1970s, dies at 79

Ed Flanagan, a four-time Pro Bowl selection for the Detroit Lions in the 1970s, has passed away, the team announced Wednesday. He was 79.

Flanagan played 10 seasons for the Lions in 1965-74, and was a member of the Lions' all-time team.

A fifth-round pick out of Purdue in 1965, Flanagan started all 139 games he played for the Lions at center. He made his first Pro Bowl in the 1969 season, and went again three of the next four years.

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Former Lions guard Bob Kowalkowski, who played alongside Flanagan on the Lions offensive line, called Flanagan the best center in the NFL during his era.