Today in Patriots History
Ras-I, Rivers and other May 9 Birthdays
Happy 76th birthday to Willie Germany
Born May 9, 1948 in Columbus, Georgia
Patriot safety, 1976; uniform #29
Acquired in a trade with the Oilers on September 24, 1976 for a sixth round draft pick
Willie Germany was originally a seventh round draft pick out of Morgan State by Washington in 1971. A year later he was traded to Atlanta, who traded him to Detroit after one season, who then traded him to Philadelphia the following year. After the Eagles waived him in 1974 he went cross town and signed with the Philadelphia Bell of the WFL. Houston signed him in the 1975 offseason before trading him the following year to the Patriots, in what would be the final stop of his pro football career.
Germany appeared in ten games for the Patriots in 1976 as a backup defensive back and special teamer. One year earlier he had started for Houston in the season opener at Foxboro. That game was played in a 16-punt torrential downpour and Germany scored the only touchdown of the day, on a 48 yard fumble return as the Oilers defeated the Pats 7-0.
FOXBORO, Mass., Sept. 21 —The New England Patriots, who spent most of last week on strike, lost their opening game to the Houston Oilers, 7?0, today. But their walkout, which ended late Thursday afternoon, had less to do with the outcome of the game than rain, which first came down in volume at the start of the second quarter and continued to the end of the contest.
By the time the rain began the Oilers had their winning touchdown, scored by Willie Germany in the fifth minute. Germany, the strong safety, recovered a fumble by Mack Herron that bounced into his hands while he was going full tilt, and he raced 48 yards into the New England end zone. “I was running for my life,” he said. But there were no Patriots around threatening his wellbeing.
This play was about all that happened. The two teams sloshed around in the water, which collected on the artificial turf, and the defenses were way ahead of the offenses.
The strike action was in the background. One wet paper sign, attached to the wall at the base of the stands, read, “Go Pats. Beat the Scabs.” The reference was to the Oilers, who had voted, 43?0, not to strike after their owner, Bud Adams, had assured them they would be paid tomorrow even if there was no game today.
Apart from the sign, it was merely another football game and a dull one. Chuck Fairbanks, the Patriots' coach, was asked about the effect of the strike on his players' performance. “It's hard for me to say. They were mentally alert. They played hard. They were emotionally ready. Houston didn't do any better. Under the conditions it was tough to execute. The players had dishpan hands. It was hard to grip the ball.”
Because Jim Plunkett, the Patriots' peerless passer, is out with a shoulder separation, Neil Graff played quarterback for New England. Graff, whose past record showed one pass attempt and one completion in regularseason play, did all right in the estimate of his coach. But he could not make the big play, which is the mark of Plunkett.
Graff said that the short rehearsal period was nothandicap. “I was mentally prepared to play the game,” he said. “It's just that conditions were so bad.”
He completed 10 of 18 pass attempts for 95 yards but none was for long yardage. Houston's Dan Pastorini, an established long passer, completed only 6 of 16 for 53 yards.
STATISTICS OF THE GAME
......................................................................Oilers...................................Patriots
First downs...............................................7............................................17
Rushing yardage....................................33?116................................52?179
Passing yardage.....................................53.........................................100
Passes.........................................................6?16.....................................12?24
Interceptions by.....................................1............................................1
Punts...........................................................9?39.....................................7?46
Fumbles lost.............................................0...........................................2
Yards penalized.......................................37.........................................28
Houston Oilers........................................7....0....0....0....— 7
New England Patriots...........................0....0....0....0....— 0
Hou.—Germany, 48, fumble recovery (Butler, kick). Attendance—54,212.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHES—Hous.: Hardeman, 18 attempts for 96 yards; Willis, 5 for 15; Coleman, 3 for 6.
N.E.: Cunningham, 16 for 60; McQuay 20 for 47; Herron, 8 for 34.
PASSES—Hous.: Pastorini, 6 completions of 16 attempts for 54 yards.
N.E. Graff, 10 of 18 for 95; Grogan, 2 of 6 tor 21.
RECEPTIONS—Hous.: Johnson, 3 for 32; Burrough, 1 for 13; Holmes, 1 for 5; Coleman, 1 for 3.
N.E.: Cunningham, 7 for 55; Vataha, 2 for 27; Francis, 1 for 15; McQuay, 1 for 13; Herron, 1 for 6.
Willie also had a role in one of the most
famous infamous games in Patriot franchise history. He teamed with **** Conn to successfully defend a desperation pass thrown by Ken Stabler that momentarily appeared to clinch a victory over Oakland in the 1976 playoff game. Then Ben Dreith threw his flag on Ray Hamilton for a bogus roughing the passer penalty, and the rest is history...
Happy 36th birthday to Ras-I-Dowling
Born May 9, 1988 in Chesapeake, Virginia
Patriot safety, 2011-2012; uniform #21
Pats 2nd round (33rd overall) selection of the 2011 draft, from Virginia
Many eyebrows were raised when the Patriots drafted Dowling so early, and in this case
the armchair gm's were correct. Dowling injured his hip in week 2 of his rookie season and landed on IR, and then was placed on IR again in October of 2012 with a torn thigh muscle. He was part of roster cuts in August of 2013; his final stat line with the Patriots reads 9 games, 2 starts, 1 pass defensed, 11 combined tackles (8 plus 3 assists).
After that Ras-I was on the practice squads of the Jets (of course), Raiders and Panthers, but only played in three more games. His final NFL stat line reads 12 games (2 starts), 0 interceptions, 0 forced fumbles, 0 fumble recoveries, 1 pass defensed, 11 tackles (8 solo) and 1 tackle for a loss. For the last six years he has held various coaching titles at William and Mary.
Ras-I Dowling enters his seventh season at William & Mary and his third as the co-defensive coordinator after earning the promotion in 2023. He also continues to
tribeathletics.com
Happy 25th birthday to Derek Rivers
Born May 9, 1994 in Augusta, Maine
Patriot DE, 2017-present; uniform #95
Pats 3rd round (83rd overall) selection of the 2017 draft; from Youngstown State
The Patriots never had much production from Rivers, who was born in Maine and raised in North Carolina. In his rookie training camp he tore his ACL, and spent all of 2017 rehabbing while on Injured Reserve. Rivers was a healthy scratch for ten games in 2018, accruing a stat line in just two regular season games. Then in Week 2 of the 2019 preseason he suffered another knee injury that again placed him on IR for the entire season. Rivers made the 2020 roster and appeared in eight games before being waived on November 21, to make room for DT Akeem Spence and LB Terez Hall.
Derek Rivers spent far more time on IR than he did on the field, playing in 14 regular-season games through nearly four seasons as a Patriot, making six tackles with 2.5 sacks during 164 defensive snaps. Rivers also played in one postseason game, but was inactive for the Super Bowl versus the Rams. He later played in five games each for the Rams and Texans, and was on the Colts practice squad briefly in 2023.
Happy 47th birthday to Wilbert Brown
Born May 9, 1977 in Texarkana, Texas
Patriot G, 2003-2004; uniform #60
Claimed off waivers from Washington on September 22, 2023
The Patriots claimed the former Skin off waivers heading up to the Pats week 4 game at Washington, leading some to conclude
it was for espionage. If that was indeed the purpose it certainly did not work, although the loss to
Steve Spurrier's club was the final loss for the Patriots that season.
Here is a bit of Patriots trivia to stump/impress your friends with.
Q: Who is the only player to appear in more playoff games for the Pats, than regular season games?
A: Wilbert Lemon Brown, with two and one respectively.
Brown was usually a game day inactive and only appeared in one game for the Pats in 2003. He was excused from the start of training camp in 2004 for personal reasons, and then placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report List on August 4. Brown was part of a group of players that was released in February 2005 just prior to the start of free agency, marking the last stop of his NFL career.
Happy 65th birthday to Chy Davidson
May 9, 1959 in Queens Village, New York
Patriot WR, 1981 (off season); uniform #88
Pats 11th round (2nd overall) selection in the 1981 supplemental draft, from URI
The Pats took a flyer on the former Rhode Island Ram, but he was cut at the end of training camp. Davidson later appeared in four games for his hometown Jets in '84-'85, and prior to that spent time with both the NFL and USFL teams in Washington. After leaving pro football Chy became a high school teacjer and football coach in New York City, working his way over the course of 23 years up to principal. In 2018 Davidson became the manager of the Public Consulting Group in Charlotte, NC, which develops strategic partnerships with both state agencies and school districts around the country.
PCG helps primarily public sector health, education, and human services organizations make measurable improvements to their performance and processes. Learn more about PCG's Leadership here.
www.publicconsultinggroup.com
Other pro football players with New England area connections born on this date:
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Art Dorfman (5/9/1908): Everett HS, Boston University; C for 1929 Buffalo Bisons.
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Doc Haggerty (5/9/1895); Nashua HS, Tufts; APFA guard, 1920-21.
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Rob Porter (5/9/1962); Holy Cross; Giants safety during the '87 strike/replacement games.
