For the past eight seasons, Ricky Sandoval has been a fixture at the Lions’ training facility in Allen Park, Mich. And at every road game. And on the sidelines of every home game at Ford Field.

Ricky has been the Lions’ director of security since 2001, but in 2006 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. And Thursday morning, just two days after celebrating his 49th birthday, Ricky died from the disease.

At 6-4 and 300 pounds, Ricky was an imposing presence. But those who knew him at the Lions’ facility compared him to a lovable, protective guard dog. He came in contact with pretty much every person within the organization.

Ricky and his wife, Gael, formed a blog called rickysvictory.com. Ricky was given 3-5 months to live, but for three years, he and Gael charted his tremendous progress. In 2006, he received the Ed Block Courage Award. it’s usually given to one player from every team in the league, but that year the Lions agreed that Ricky deserved it more than anyone.

Earlier this week, the team named the indoor practice field “Sandoval Field” in honor of Ricky.