Bill Lenkaitis passed away...

[Actual Pats Fan]

Interesting (to me at least), I did not realize (or forgot with the passage of time) that Lenkaitis played for San Diego for three years prior to becoming a Patriot. The Chargers drafted him as a guard in the second round but the Pats got him for nothing, picking him up off waivers; I was under the impression that the Patriots drafted him.

As a team captain at Penn State, you know Bill Belichick would have coveted him had their eras intersected. Once he replaced Jon Morris at center, he started all but three games for eight consecutive years. From 1964-86 center was never a concern for the Pats, with Morris, Lenkaitis and then Pete Brock.

Besides the 1976/1978 teams mentioned above, that Patriot All-Decade Team of the 1970's wasn't too shabby.

LT Leon Gray
LG John Hannah
C Bill Lenkaitis
RG Sam Adams
RT Tom Neville
TE Russ Francis
WR Stanley Morgan
WR Randy Vataha
QB Steve Grogan
RB Sam Cunningham
RB Andy Johnson

LDE Tony McGee
NT Ray Hamilton
RDE Julius Adams
LOLB Steve Zabel
ILB Steve Nelson
ILB Sam Hunt
ROLB Steve King
CB Raymond Clayborn
CB Mike Haynes
FS Tim Fox
SS Prentice McCray

K John Smith
P Mike Patrick
Ret Mack Herron
ST Mosi Tatupu
HC Chuck Fairbanks

Anniversary Team

Former Patriots offensive lineman and team dentist Bill Lenkaitis passed away at 70

RIP Dr. Bill.

Most of these guys got their rings snatched off their fingers by Ben Dreith & Co.

I don't see anybody on this list who's not a hero...even Mini-Mack, who had deep personal problems but didn't babble about them to anybody

Can't take the Pats HOF seriously until Julius is in there

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Yes it could. And would. And did. I got to meet John Hannah a couple years after he retired. A nice guy, and approachable, but man, if you looked closely, you could see the damage that the years on the O-line had done to him. Every move was deliberate and slow.

God bless them all. They were my heroes then and still are, even after all those intervening years.

The next season after John retired, we were at the bottom of the league in rushing. The writers liked to point out that they'd gain more yardage if Craig James and Tony Collins just fell forward each time they were handed the ball...yet we still won the division

 

[Peter Pat]

I was a little too young remember him that well as a player.
I did meet him at his old spot Doc and Nellies at the old village mall in Canton. Seemed like a very good man. RIP

 

[oldrover]

I watched a lot of Patriots games in the 70's, and honestly can't remember any mental mistakes Bill made in pass protection. Overpowered sometimes, but rarely outplayed. Very intelligent on the field, and off too, obviously.

 

[italian pat patriot]

riposa in pace

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Interesting (to me at least), I did not realize (or forgot with the passage of time) that Lenkaitis played for San Diego for three years prior to becoming a Patriot. The Chargers drafted him as a guard in the second round but the Pats got him for nothing, picking him up off waivers; I was under the impression that the Patriots drafted him.

As a team captain at Penn State, you know Bill Belichick would have coveted him had their eras intersected. Once he replaced Jon Morris at center, he started all but three games for eight consecutive years. From 1964-86 center was never a concern for the Pats, with Morris, Lenkaitis and then Pete Brock.

Besides the 1976/1978 teams mentioned above, that Patriot All-Decade Team of the 1970's wasn't too shabby.

LT Leon Gray
LG John Hannah
C Bill Lenkaitis
RG Sam Adams
RT Tom Neville
TE Russ Francis
WR Stanley Morgan
WR Randy Vataha
QB Steve Grogan
RB Sam Cunningham
RB Andy Johnson

LDE Tony McGee
NT Ray Hamilton
RDE Julius Adams
LOLB Steve Zabel
ILB Steve Nelson
ILB Sam Hunt
ROLB Steve King
CB Raymond Clayborn
CB Mike Haynes
FS Tim Fox
SS Prentice McCray

K John Smith
P Mike Patrick
Ret Mack Herron
ST Mosi Tatupu
HC Chuck Fairbanks

Anniversary Team

Former Patriots offensive lineman and team dentist Bill Lenkaitis passed away at 70

RIP Dr. Bill.

Maybe Bob Kraft should attend his own new exhibit over at the HOF; he might "wake up" one day and restore our real logo & uni's

We love & miss you, Dr. Bill