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Today in Patriots History
Legendary Quasi-Patriots
Legendary Quasi-Patriots
April 27, 1985: Commissioner Pete Rozelle orders New England to give a seventh round pick to the Raiders as compensation after signing Los Angeles scout John Polonchek. Rozelle ruled that Pats coach Raymond Berry had tampered by contacting Polonchek, who became a Patriots special assistant late in 1984. This action set a precedent that future NFL commissioners gleefully followed in future years in regards to the Patriots.
Happy 61st birthday to Mike Kerrigan
Born April 27, 1960 in Chicago
Patriot QB, 1983-1984; uniform #19
Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 5, 1982
Kerrigan was a three-year starter at Northwestern, and at that time ranked second as their all-time leading passer. The Pats signed him as an undrafted rookie in 1982, but after a preseason concussion he spent the entire year on IR. Kerrigan saw very little playing time, stuck backing up Steve Grogan and Tony Eason on Ron Meyer's 1983 team, and Meyer/Raymond Berry's club in '84. His career stat line was 7/15 for 85 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, with the Pats going 1-1 in those games.
Kerrigan then went on to have a successful career in the Canadian Football League. In his first season he led the Hamilton Tiger Cats to a 39-15 Grey Cup championship, despite entering the game as a 12-point underdog. Kerrigan played in three Grey Cups (winning two); he was a two-time CFL All-Star, and named the MVP of the 1986 Grey Cup.
Inside the most exciting game in CFL history
With 44 seconds left in the fourth frame, Mike Kerrigan threw a nine-yard TD pass to a leaping, twisting Tony Champion to help Hamilton create a 40-40 tie. Champion made that remarkable catch while shrugging off the extreme discomfort of broken ribs.
Undaunted, Austin moved Saskatchewan into field-goal range, whereupon Dave Ridgway settled matters from 35 yards away with two seconds remaining in the greatest of all 104 Grey Cup games.
Happy 61st birthday to Ricky Williams
Born April 27, 1960 in Santa Monica
Patriot RB, 1983
Pats 9th round (233rd overall) selection of the 1983 draft, from Langston
The first of three NFL running backs named Ricky Williams never played for the Patriots, but did appear in three NFL games for the Raiders. It is a challenge to find much information on this Williams, due to his having the same name as the more well known former Miami Dolphin, his going to an NAIA college in Oklahoma, and then playing for such a brief period of time, pre-internet.
8/28/82: New Langston Coach Unsure What To Expect
Happy 80th birthday to Lee Roy Jordan
Born April 27, 1941 in Excel, Alabama
Pats 2nd round (14th overall) selection of the 1961 AFL draft, from Alabama
Lee Roy Jordan also never played for the Patriots, but that is where his similarity to Ricky Williams ends. The five-time All Pro played middle linebacker in Dallas for 14 seasons. It is a mystery why the Pats wasted a second round pick on such a high profile player, a highly touted southern native who was obviously going to choose the NFL over an upstart low-budget cold weather AFL team.
Lee Roy Jordan’s storied performance in 1963 Orange Bowl sparked Alabama’s lone win over Oklahoma
Warm Weather led Lee Roy Jordan to Cowboys
Alabama linebacker Lee Roy Jordan was the second first-round NFL Draft pick in Dallas Cowboys history. He had the choice of going to Dallas or Boston. It was a no-brainer, he said.
Lee Roy Jordan Lumber Company
Lee Roy Jordan leads the industry as one of the largest suppliers of Redwood and other fine specialty woods in eight states. A successful businessman and former Dallas Cowboy, Lee Roy Jordan's determination to be the best continues into the 21st century.
In fourteen years as a Dallas Cowboy, Lee Roy Jordan competed in three Super Bowls, was named All-Pro twice and participated in the Pro Bowl four times. As a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, the National College Hall of Fame, and the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame, Lee Roy was also inducted into the Dallas Cowboy Ring of Honor in 1990.
After a successful career in football, Lee Roy purchased "Redwood Lumber Company of Dallas", the largest exclusive dealer of redwood in the southwest that began in 1952. In 1977, after the purchase, the name was changed to "Lee Roy Jordan Redwood Lumber Company". A proven leader in Redwood products, Lee Roy Jordan has maintained the quality and diversity for not only Redwood, but other specialty woods as well.
Happy 46th birthday to Rabih Abdullah
Born April 27, 1975 in Martinsville, Virginia
Patriot RB, 2004; uniform #27
Signed as a free agent on September 11, 2004
Abdullah went undrafted out of Lehigh, but made Tampa Bay's 1998 roster after rushing for 280 yards and two touchdowns in the preseason. He appeared in 83 NFL games and was a special teams standout, registering 90 career ST tackles. The Patriots signed Abdullah just after week one of the 2004 season, and he was active for seven of the next eight games before being waived on November 22. The Pats resigned him a month later, and he earned a ring in Super Bowl 39.
Abdullah scored one touchdown with the Patriots; On 10/10/2004 his one-yard rush gave the Pats a 24-7 lead midway through the third quarter against Dave Wannstedt and the Miami Dolphins. That game is most notable for being when Wes Welker caught Bill Belichick's attention. Welker was the lone bright spot for Miami that day, with five kickoff returns (101 yards), five punt returns (41 yards), one tackle, 1-1 of field goals, 1-1 on extra points, and three good kickoffs in emergency kicking duty.
Unfortunately for Abdullah he has had some legal troubles in his post-NFL life, with a DUI in 2004, followed by a 2006 arrest for DUI, gun and marijuana charges, and then a 2008 violation for driving on a suspended license.
Happy 31st birthday to John Hughes
Born April 27, 1988 in Columbus, Ohio
Patriot DT, 2016; uniform #94
Signed as a free agent on September 27, 2016
Hughes was a third round pick by Cleveland in 2012, from Cincinnati. The Browns released Hughes 18 months after signing him to a four-year, $14 million 2015 contract extension. On the Tuesday preceding week 4 of 2016 the Pats signed Hughes, to replace the roster spot vacated after releasing DL Anthony Johnson. Just four days later Hughes was waived, to make room for TE Greg Scruggs. After that Hughes bounced around between Tampa, New Orleans and Buffalo. He finished his NFL career with 66 games played, with 55 of those (and all ten starts) coming during his time in Cleveland.
Other pro football players born on this date with New England connections:
Ethan Brooks turns 49 (4/27/1972)
Brooks was born in Hartford, raised in Simsbury and is a graduate of Williams College in Amherst. The Falcons selected Brooks in the 7th round of the 1996 draft, and Atlanta converted him from DT to OT. Over nine years Brooks played with the Falcons, Rams, Cardinals, Ravens and Cowboys, appearing in 76 games with 26 starts. He returned to his alma mater where he now works as a strength and conditioning coach.
Great off-field story about Brooks from the Baltimore Sun, back in 2002:
Ravens' Brooks blocks pain, too
Emmett Cleary turns 31 (4/27/1990)
The offensive tackle was a BC Eagle, graduating in 2012. Over the next two years he spent offseasons with the Colts and Raiders, and was on the practice squad for the Bucs and Bengals. Cleary signed with the Giants in 2015, finally making it to an active roster in November. He played in 13 games for Dallas in 2016, and seven for Detroit in 2017. Cleary retired in 2018 with plans to attend medical school at the University of Southern California.
Greg Meehan turns 58 (4/27/1963)
Meehan's New England roots are very minimal: he was born at Otis Air Force Base. The wide receiver from Bowling Green signed with San Diego after going undrafted, but was cut during training camp. He started three games in 1987 for Cincinnati as one of the replacement players. Meehan is now the Vice President and General Manager of the Continuous Glucose Monitoring business at Medtronic Diabetes, a global medical technology device company.
