Ralph Heywood, a former Detroit Lion and one of the most highly decorated military veterans in NFL history, died in Kerrville, Texas, on Tuesday. He was 85 years old.



Heywood is believed to be the only former NFL player to have served in the military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.









The 6-foot-2, 201-pound end was a third-round pick by the Lions in the 1944 NFL draft after serving as a captain and being named an All-American in 1943, his senior season for the USC Trojans.



But, he first enlisted in the United States Marine Corps where he served in World War II aboard the USS Iowa.



After the war, Heywood joined the Chicago Rockets of the All-American Football Conference in 1946. He then went to the Lions in 1947 and he caught 13 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns.



He also played with Detroit early in the 1948 season finishing the year with the Boston Yanks. Heywood then concluded his four-year pro career with the New York Bulldogs in 1949.



Heywood returned to active duty with the Marines in 1952 at the height of the Korean War and eventually earned the rank of colonel during the Vietnam War.

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