LAWRENCE, Kan. — Otto Schnellbacher, a former star defensive back for the New York Giants who also played one season in the NBA in 1949, has died. He was 84.

His death was announced Monday by the University of Kansas, where he was captain of the football and basketball teams. The school did not know the cause of his death.

Schnellbacher played four seasons with the Giants and was a Pro Bowl player in 1950 and 1951. He led the league with 11 interceptions in 1951. He spent the 1948-49 season in the NBA with the St. Louis Bombers and Providence Steamrollers.

Schnellbacher was born in the small Kansas town of Sublette and was known as the "Double Threat from Sublette" in college. He was a star wide receiver on the 1947 team at Kansas that went 8-1-2 and played in the Orange Bowl.