Abe Woodson, one of the premier kickoff returners in NFL history who was named to five Pro Bowls in his seven seasons with the 49ers, died Saturday at 79 in Las Vegas, the team confirmed Tuesday.

Woodson, who also played cornerback, is the only player in NFL history to lead the league in yards per kickoff return in three seasons (1959, ’62 and ‘63) and his career average of 28.7 yards per return ranks fourth in league history. Of the 22 players with at least 5,500 kickoff return yards, Woodson is the only one to average more than 26.1 yards per return. His 5,538 yards rank 20th all-time.

A former track star at Illinois, Woodson holds 49ers career records for kickoff-return yards (4,873), kickoff-return average (29.4) and kickoff-return touchdowns (5). Woodson is the only player in franchise history with more than two kickoff-return scores. He holds the franchise single-season record for kickoff return touchdowns (3) and the single-game mark for kickoff return yards (210).

A second-round pick of the 49ers in 1957, Woodson joined the team in 1958 after serving a military commitment. In seven seasons, he started 63 games at cornerback, had 15 interceptions and also led the NFL in punt-return average in 1960. He was traded to the Cardinals on Feb. 8, 1965, for running back John David Crow and had the most kickoff-return yardage in NFL history when his nine-year career ended in 1966.

Woodson was an all-Big 10 running back as a senior in 1956 and doubled as track standout at Illinois. He twice tied the 50-yard indoor high hurdle world record and narrowly missed an Olympic berth in 1956 when he finished fourth at the trials.

After his NFL career, Woodson spent 35 years as a life-insurance agent. He also worked as a volunteer chaplain for the Nevada prison system.