Thursday, Jan 07, 2010 03:10 PM

NFL director of football operations Davey dies at age 58

NEW YORK -- Tim Davey, the NFL's director of football operations, has died. He was 58.

Davey was an employee of the New York Jets and the NFL for a total of 33 years. He died Wednesday.

"Tim was beloved by all of us for his tremendous work ethic and passion for his job and the NFL," league commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday.

Goodell first worked with Davey in 1983, when the now-commissioner interned with the Jets. Davey was with the Jets from 1974 to 1988 as an athletic trainer.

Davey joined the NFL in 1991 in the league's game operations department. He supervised the logistics for stadium communications systems for teams and sideline personnel. He also served as the league's coordinator of stadium operations and field matters, and he was in charge of operations at AFC and NFC championship games and led Pro Bowl operations, working closely with the coaching staffs and players.

"Everyone that knew Tim loved him for many different reasons," Goodell said. "His talent, his commitment to doing the best possible job in anything he did, his sense of humor, his love of sports, kids, family, and the fact that you could always count on him as a colleague and friend."