SPORTSLions Hall of Famer Charlie SandersCharlie Sanders, considered the greatest tight end in Lions history, died on Thursday after a long illness from cancer, the team said. He was 68.Daniel Mears, The Detroit NewsFormer Detroit Lions tight end Charlie Sanders stands with his bronze bust during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007. Sanders played 10 seasons in the NFL.PHIL LONG, APFormer Lion Charlie Sanders shows off the ring and statue he received for going into the NFL Hall of Fame during a Lions game against the Green Bay Packers in Detroit, Michigan, on November 22, 2007.Daniel Mears, Detroit NewsLions greats Barry Sanders and Charlie Sanders joke around before a Lions home game against the Chicago Bears on "Monday Night Football" at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, on October 10, 2011.Daniel Mears, Detroit NewsCharlie Sanders makes the catch!Detroit News ArchiveDetroit Lions player Charlie Sanders poses early in his career.Detroit News ArchiveThe Lions' Charlie Sanders (88) steps away from a tackle by the Philadelphia Eagles' Steve Preece and goes 40 yards for a second-quarter touchdown Sept. 12, 1971.Associated PressCharlie Sanders held out for, and received, $17,000 for his rookie season with the Lions.The Detroit News ArchivesCharlie Sanders gets emotional as he talks about his mother, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Aug. 4, 2007, in Canton, Ohio.Tony Dejak, AP.Former Lions wide receiver Herman Moore and Hall of Fame tight end Charlie Sanders, right, joke around after practice at the Detroit Lions 2009 training camp in Allen Park.Daniel Mears, Detroit NewsFrom left, Detroit Lions owner Bill Ford Jr., Hall of Fame tight end and former Lion Charlie Sanders and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder talk on the field during warm-ups before the Lions take on the Seattle Seahawks at Ford Field on Oct. 28, 2012.Daniel Mears, Detroit NewsLions head coach Jim Schwartz and Hall of Fame tight end Charlie Sanders watch rookie practice on May 10, 2013.Daniel Mears, Detroit NewsNFL Hall of Fame tight end Charlie Sanders and former Lions alumni Pro Bowl quarterback Greg Landry chat on the field before Detroit takes on the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field on Oct. 27, 2013.Daniel Mears, Detroit NewsFrom left, Lions NFL Hall of Famers defensive back Lem Barney, running back Barry Sanders and tight end Charlie Sanders come onto the field last during a halftime presentation of Detroit alumni during a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field in Detroit, on Oct. 27, 2013.Daniel Mears , Detroit NewsLions draft pick and North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron, left, and NFL Hall of Fame tight end Charlie Sanders meet before a press conference in Allen Park, Mich.on May 9, 2014.Daniel Mears, Detroit NewsFormer Detroit Lions tight end Charlie Sanders, left, stands with his bronze bust and his presenter, Detroit Lions owner and chairman, William Clay Ford during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007. Sanders played 10 seasons in the NFL.Phil Long, APCharlie Sanders is shown in an undated portrait.The Detroit News ArchiveMary Jo Sanders, a women's pro boxer and daughter of Lions great Charlie Sanders, gives some pointers to Lions DT Corey Williams during the team's workout in Allen Park June 16, 2010.John T. Greilick, Detroit NewsCharlie Sanders' daughter Mary Jo Sanders raises her fist in victory after scoring a first-round win over Willicia Moorehead in a welterweight fight Friday, Feb. 7, 2003, at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich.Paul Warner, APFormer Detroit Lions tight end Charlie Sanders pauses to catch his breath after being selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame during a news conference Saturday afternoon Feb. 3, 2007, in Miami, Fla.Chris O'Meara, APCharlie Sanders participates in a Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival Enshrinees Roundtable on Aug. 5, 2007 in Canton, Ohio.Al Messerschmidt, Getty ImagesMatt "Super Fan" Spring of Auburn Hills greets Hall of Fame tight end Charlie Sanders, who signs autographs for fans along the fence line during Lions training camp in Allen Park, Michigan on Aug. 2, 2009.Daniel Mears, Detroit NewsCharlie SandersTony Dejak, APCharlie Sanders and other Lions alumni visited the morning practice at Detroit Lions training camp in Allen Park, Michigan on Aug., 3, 2010.Daniel Mears, Detroit NewsLions Ezekiel Ansah greets general manager Martin Mayhew and NFL Hall of Fame tight end Charlie Sanders during warm-ups before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on Nov. 28, 2013.Daniel Mears, Detroit News,From left, Joe Schmidt, Charlie Sanders, Yale Lary and Lem Barney were on hand as part of the first 12 members of the Pride of the Lions charter class with their names put up on the warehouse side of Ford Field before the game against the Cleveland Browns at Ford Field in Detroit on Nov. 22, 2009.Daniel Mears, Detroit NewsNFL Hall of Famer Charlie Sanders (center) smiles broadly while talking on a cell phone after watching his son Wayne Sanders, a senior at Rochester Adams, defeat Grosse Pointe South junior Thornton Carter in a Division One, 171-pound quarterfinals bout at the MHSAA individual wrestling finals at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Friday on March 9, 2007.John T. Greilick, The Detroit NewsLions first round draft pick, rookie wide receiver Calvin Johnson talks with 2007 NFL Hall of Fame Lions tight end Charlie Sanders at the end of the morning session of Lions training camp in Allen Park on August 13, 2007.Daniel Mears, Detroit NewsFormer Lions and Hall of Famers Lem Barney and Charlie Sanders chat before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field in Detroit, Sept. 30, 2012.Daniel Mears, Detroit NewsCharlie Sanders, considered the greatest tight end in Lions history, died on Thursday after a long illness from cancer, the team said. He was 68.Daniel Mears, Detroit News