Longtime Bengals executive John Sawyer dies

CINCINNATI (AP) Former Cincinnati Bengals president and part owner John Sawyer has died. He was 90.

The Bengals said that Sawyer died Thursday morning at a retirement home in Cincinnati after battling health problems for the past four years.

He was team president from 1968-93 and had served as a vice president since 1994. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Bengals and had long been a key adviser to the Brown family, including Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown and his son Mike, now the team president.

Sawyer, a former World War II pilot, rarely missed a Bengals home or away game. He was a former part owner of the Cincinnati Reds and helped initiate construction of Riverfront Stadium, which was home to both franchises for more than 30 years.

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