Former Buffalo Bills special teams standout Mark Pike dies at 57

Linebacker and defensive lineman Mark Pike, who made his mark on special teams and played in four Super Bowls as a member of the Buffalo Bills, has died from cancer, the team announced Wednesday. 

Pike was 57.

A seventh-round draft pick in 1986 from Georgia Tech, Pike spent his entire 13-year pro career in Buffalo. He played in 173 games, leading the Bills in special teams tackles in seven of his last eight seasons and finishing his career with a team-record 255. 

"He was a big man who played special teams which was a matchup nightmare for our opponents," said fellow special teams standout Steve Tasker, one of Pike's longest-tenured teammates. "He was a unique specimen. His ability to run and play special teams with his versatility was unbelievable."

Despite beating treated for non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Pike attended the Bills' Week 4 game against the Houston Texans to serve as the club's Crucial Catch honoree.

His condition was complicated by a COVID-19 infection and subsequent pneumonia, the team said.