The Baltimore Ravens lost the longest-tenured member of their staff on Saturday.
Defensive assistant Clarence Brooks passed away at the age of 65 following a bout with esophageal cancer, the team announced Saturday.
Brooks opened up about his fight with cancer in December, calling it "the toughest thing I've ever been through." He was forced to miss games in 2015 for the first time in his career before transitioning out of his role as defensive line coach.
Brooks was hired by former Ravens coach Brian Billick in 2005 to coach the Ravens' defensive line and kept his post for 11 years. He coached Haloti Ngata and the Baltimore defensive line to a Super Bowl title in 2012.
John Harbaugh called him the greatest defensive line coach he has ever been around.
Brooks is survived by his wife, Justa, his two children and his two grandchildren.