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Pat Studstill Jr., ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Actor and NFL Star, Dies at 83

Pat Studstill Jr. just passed away on Saturday at his Los Angeles home at the age of 83.

The Shreveport, Louisiana-born multi-talented star was an avid golfer and rescue dog enthusiast up until his passing.

The sad news was shared with the community via a Detroit News obituary. Studstill was a popular wide receiver for the Detroit Lions during a career in the 1960s. During that time, Studstill was a two-time Pro Bowler as well.

Pat Studstill Jr. Football Career

According to Detroit News, Studstill was a Lions player from 1961 to 1967. At the time, he actually led in receiving yards in the NFL in 1966 with 1,266 total. His stellar work as a wide receiver would eventually shift over to taking on the position of a punter.

In 1965, he made the Pro Bowl for the first time as a punter and had 78 punts.

That next year, he would also get five consecutive games of 125 or more receiving yards. This impressive record was not matched until Calvin Johnson came around in 2012.

Eventually, Studstill moved on from his limelight with the Lions. He played for the Los Angeles Rams from 1968 to 1971 and then the New England Patriots in 1972. At the end of it all, Pat Studstill had an impressive career filled with 2,840 total receiving yards as well as 18 touchdowns.

Studstill Moves to Acting

After all that success, he would retire from football, hanging up that jersey for good. As a complete extrovert, he wasn’t ready to give up the attention just yet. After his football career, Studstill started a successful Hollywood career instead.

He started out as a technical adviser for the football movie “The Longest Yard” in 1974. After that, he started getting into both voice work and acting. He was also featured in the “Paper Lion” movie while he was still playing football.

According to IMDb, he has more than 200 commercials that are credited to him. In addition to that, Studstill had small appearances in popular TV shows like “The Dukes of Hazzard,” “Magnum, P.I.,” and “The Incredible Hulk.”

His TV career would eventually slowly dissolve as well. His very last role was in a couple of episodes of “1st & Ten” from 1986 to 1987. This is his last credited role. While he wasn’t acting or playing football, Pat Studstill Jr. was a family man.

He was married to his wife Rita. The two had three children — Pat III, Lisa, and Shannon. He also had two grandchildren. Instead of flowers sent on his behalf, the family is looking for donations to organizations that would mean a lot to Studstill. That would include animal rescues and Earth conservation groups.