Our condolences go out tonight to the family of Mel Farr, who died Monday night at the age of 70.
Farr played his entire NFL career in a Detroit Lions uniform and played every one of his home games at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull.As the 1967 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Farr teamed with 1967 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Lem Barney to form a potent 1-2 combination on the Tiger Stadium gridiron.
Four years later, along with Bobby Rogers of the Miracles, Mel and Lem sang background vocals on Marvin Gaye's seminal 1971 hit "What's Going On."
(In fact, according to Lem's biography, they actually talked Marvin into recording it in the first place.)
While Mel and Lem never made it to the top of the league or the top of the charts, they still secured a place in the heart of Motown for the ages.
