A former Husker football player and state senator passed away on Friday. Jim McFarland died in his Omaha home at the age of 73 due to complications following pancreatic cancer.

McFarland, a North Platte native, was a walk-on tight end for Nebraska, starting for the Huskers in 1968 and 1969. He earned All-Big Eight plaudits in his senior season and was inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 1999. After playing six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals in the NFL, McFarland became an attorney and state senator.

McFarland was appointed by then-Governor Bob Kerrey to fill Chris Beutler’s District 28 seat after Beutler stepped down. McFarland was then elected to the seat the following November and served until 1990.