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Today in Patriots History
Happy Birthday to Tom Addison
Happy Birthday to Tom Addison
Happy birthday to Tom Addison
Born April 12, 1936 in Lancaster, SC
Died June 4, 2011 at the age of 75
Patriot LB, 1960-1967; uniform #53
Signed as a free agent on September 27, 1960
Addison was an AFL All-Star for five straight seasons, and a member of the Pats' All-Decade team for the 1960s. He played in 107 games for the Patriots, with 16 interceptions. Addison was also the first president of the AFL's player association, which in turn helped give players confidence to sign with the new league and helped the league improve and eventually merge with the NFL. Tom was originally drafted out of South Carolina by the Colts in the 12th round (141st overall) in 1958, but never really had a shot with Baltimore; that was a team running a 5-2 defense, already set with veterans at linebacker and winning the '58 and '59 NFL championships - in a time when rosters were limited to 35 players.
Former Boston Patriot Addison Dies
A 6-foot-2, 230 pound linebacker, Addison was originally drafted out of the University of South Carolina by the Baltimore Colts in 1958, but signed with the newly-formed Boston Patriots in 1960.
Addison played his entire career with the Patriots (he retired in 1967), and was quickly a standout player. According to pro-football-reference.com, he snagged 16 interceptions in his career, one of which he took back for a touchdown (the site does not have tackle numbers). In 1960, he received All-AFL honors; the next year, the league formed its All-Star game, and Addison played in the exhibition every year from 1961-64.
In 1971, fans voted Addison to the Patriots all-decade team for the 1960s.
Addison wasn’t just a leader on the field: he was voted the first president of the AFL Players’ Association by his peers when the union was formed in 1964. His contributions as president played a significant role in the development and competitiveness of the league.
A member of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame, Addison will be buried in his hometown of Lancaster, S.C. on Friday.
From the 1967 Patriots Media Guide:
Tom Addison LB 31 6'2" 230 South Carolina
Injured last season in second Kansas City game . . . his ability to comeback after off-season knee surgery will have big bearing on success of Pats' defense . . . missed last four of '66 season . . . Tom is a classic example of a player whose success has paralleled that of the league's . . . the former South Carolina tackle has been a strong-side linebacking standout for Pats since their first season in '60 . . . is probably the senior linebacker in the circuit in terms of accomplishment . . . as with Charley Long, mumps stifled Tom's progress in '65 and the defense was affected accordingly . . . has been an eastern All-Star four times and All-AFL three of his pro years . . . closest thing to Jekyl and Hyde in pro football . . . keys up mentally to finest edge for combat and proceeds to knock over blockers, runners and passers with savage abandon . . . off the field has been the articulate businessman with the southern drawl . . . is Patriots player representative and was also the player representative for the entire league prior to 1965 . . . has a football camp for youngsters at Curry College during the off-season that features the instruction of Patriots stars . . . an intense and driving competitor, Tom is co-captain of the Pats.