Months before former Fremont (Ohio) Ross product and Michigan All-American running back Rob Lytle suddenly passed away, he reportedly addressed the crowd at his induction into Ross Hall of Fame.

"They say the average lifespan of an NFL player is 57," he said.

The seven-year pro died Saturday, Nov. 20 of a heart attack six days after his 56th birthday.

Former Michigan offensive line coach Jerry Hanlon remembered Lytle as a special player who would do anything for the team, confident but not cocky. Jim Saccomano, vice president of corporate communications for the Denver Broncos (with whom Lytle spent seven injury-plagued years from 1977 to 1983), told the Port Clinton News-Herald, "He was the type of guy every coach was proud of. He was the type of guy you'd love to have as a neighbor, uncle, son-in-law, anything. It was my privilege to know him."

Lytle's son Kelly, meanwhile, whom Lytle quipped in our discussion 12 years ago he'd encourage to golf rather than play football given the trauma his own body had incurred, remembered his dad as the kind of guy who could produce a smile from someone he just met, which was exactly the case when I asked him to recall an Ohio State memory from his playing days.

"I don't remember exactly what happened in the days leading up to the game, other than I'm sure I was at the library," he said… and then paused before breaking into laughter and admitting he was never really sure where the campus library was.

Of the hundreds of interviews I've conducted with former players for our Where Are They Now? section over the years, Lytle's remains one of the most memorable.

Likewise, nobody who saw him play will forget watching him play on Bo Schembechler's teams of the mid-1970s. He carried the ball 557 times for 3,317 yards and scored 26 touchdowns during his Michigan career (1973-76), his total still the seventh-best mark in school history; finished his career as Michigan's all-time leading rusher. His 1,469 rushing yards in 1976 were the most by a Wolverine and currently remains seventh all-time.

Lytle earned first-team All-America honors, was the Big Ten Most Valuable Player and earned first-team all-conference selection during the 1976 season. He placed third in the 1976 Heisman Trophy balloting behind Pitt's Tony Dorsett and Southern California's Ricky Bell and was a member of three Big Ten Championship team, finishing his four-year career with a 38-5-3 overall record and 28-3-1 mark in conference play.

"He was a great competitor and such a great leader," said quarterback Rick Leach, a U-M teammate. "In my opinion, Rob was what a Michigan Man is all about. He cared about the team, he cared about Big Ten titles and would do anything to make the team better. He took me under his wing to talk about football and life. I loved him like a brother."

As an NFL rookie, Lytle was part of the Broncos team that played in the Super Bowl, losing to the Dallas Cowboys (XII). He gained 1,451 rushing yards and scored 12 touchdowns during his seven-year career and added 562 receiving yards and two touchdowns. His only regret, Saccomano shared, was that he couldn't stay healthier throughout his career. Lytle went through knee and shoulder replacements as a result of the NFL grind and suffered a stroke on New Year's Eve, 2008.

Lytle was extremely active in the Fremont community, where he served as vice president and business development officer at Old Fort Banking Co., a friend to nearly everyone.

"Rob was a teammate and a terrific individual," said University of Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon. "It's a sad day because we've lost someone who was a great example of a Michigan man. Our sympathies go out to his family during this difficult time."