Today in Patriots History
More February 2 Birthdays
Happy 52nd birthday to J.R. Conrad
Born Feb 2, 1974 in Fairland, Oklahoma
Patriot tackle/guard, 1996 (practice squad); uniform #70
Pats 7th round (247th overall) selection of the 1974 draft, from Oklahoma
Pats résumé: 1996 practice squad, 1997 offseason
Article on New York Jets preparing for game against New England Patriots (M)
www.nytimes.com
Conrad was the last player drafted by the Patriots last year. Playing tackle and guard, Conrad didn't make the team, but hung on with the practice squad.
''I made a mistake last March,'' he admits. ''I should have come here when Coach Parcells came. Instead I went back to New England, went to camp, and then was cut just before the season.''
By then it was too late to return to school. He needs nine credits to graduate. So he just hung out at home in Fairland, Okla. The Jets found him a job, though, and hired him for their practice squad, converting him to center.
After football, Conrad remains involved in athletics
In 1996, Conrad was selected in the seventh round (247th overall pick) by the New England Patriots as an offensive lineman under legendary coach Bill Parcells, who won two Super Bowls as head coach of the New York Giants.
“It was nice there, but the people were a little different,” Conrad said.
Before the 1997 season started under new coach Pete Carroll, Conrad was cut from New England, but was picked up by New York Jets under Parcells — who had just taken over as head coach.
In Oct. 16, 1997, Conrad made his debut as a starter when he played center against the Miami Dolphins.
“He (Parcells) was awesome,” Conrad said. “It was easy because I am a country boy. Be early, be quiet and do extra.”
Conrad said he remains in contact with Parcells.
Since his days at OU and the NFL, Conrad has coached at several Oklahoma high schools. In 2009, Conrad joined Dibble (and former Sooner) coach Charley North’s staff in 2009.
Conrad later became head coach at Dibble High School in 2011 and coached there until 2014.
Today the 6-foot-5 Conrad makes his home in the Oklahoma City area and works as a senior territory sales representative for Power-Lift, a company that manufactures athletic performance strength training equipment for athletics and sports performance facilities such as high schools, colleges, pro sports teams and athletic performance facilities.
Conrad is a member of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and grew up in Indian housing in Miami. With neither of his parents present in his early life, he was raised by his maternal grandmother. After his grandmother was placed in a nursing home due to Parkinson's disease, Conrad lived with his uncle, a Marine who had served in the Vietnam War.
During Conrad's sophomore year of high school, he moved in with his mother in Fairland, Oklahoma. He attended the small Fairland High School and participated in football, basketball, weightlifting, and track at the school. On the football team, he played on the offensive and defensive lines as well as playing kicker. He was an all-state player and Gatorade Player of the Year for both Oklahoma and the Southwest United States. He graduated high school in 1992 with a senior class of just 18 students.
Conrad was recruited to play for the Missouri Tigers by coach Andy Reid, but ultimately chose to attend the University of Oklahoma to play for the Oklahoma Sooners, due to his respect for Oklahoma assistant coach Merv Johnson.
When Conrad arrived at Oklahoma in 1992, both of the school's centers were struggling with injuries, and the team needed someone else to start at the position. Conrad, who had never played or even practiced playing center before, was asked by coaches Merv Johnson and Gary Gibbs to be the starting center, in spite of other coaches' policies against having freshmen as starters on the offensive line. "I thought it was a joke at first," Conrad said of the change, but he made the adjustment quickly and successfully with only two fumbled snaps all season. This made him the first true freshman to ever start at center in Oklahoma Sooners history.
In 2009, Conrad became an assistant coach at Dibble High School in Dibble, Oklahoma. He became head coach in 2011 but stepped down in April 2014, citing a desire to focus on his own children's athletic development.
After watching an offensive line coach whose yelling only demoralized players, Conrad was inspired to start his own offensive line training academy. The academy is now called Trench Mafia and has turned out players such as Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Creed Humphrey. . .
The trusted source for pro football information for J.R. Conrad. Get statistics, transactions. biographical data and more at Pro Football Archives.
www.profootballarchives.com
Happy 48th birthday to Marques Sullivan
Born Feb 2, 1978 in Chicago; hometown Oak Park, IL
Patriot offensive tackle, 2004; uniform #77
Signed as a free agent on Dec 2, 2004
Pats résumé: 17 days in Foxboro, zero snaps
Fun fact: Marques Sullivan attended the same high school Robert Spillane would go to 17 years later.
Patriots Sign OL Marques Sullivan, Waive WR Kevin Kasper - Patriots.com, Dec 2, 2004
Looking to add depth at what has become a thin offensive tackle spot, the Patriots signed former Buffalo Bill and New York Giant Marques Sullivan, 26, on Friday.
The 6-5, 325-pound offensive lineman has experience at both left and right tackle as well as guard and will provide needed depth across the front.
The Patriots received a scare last week when left tackle Matt Light was helped off the field with 11:04 to go in the fourth quarter against the Ravens. With starting right tackle Tom Ashworth and backup swing tackle Adrian Klemm already on injured reserve, the Patriots had only current starters Light and Brandon Gorin active at that position with inexperienced Lance Nimmo on the practice squad.
Sullivan was waived by the Bills in early September and claimed by the Giants on Sept. 6. He was inactive for all 11 games in New York before being waived on Nov. 30 and scooped up by the Patriots.
He was originally a fifth-round pick (144th overall) by the Bills in 2001 and played in 10 games as a rookie with two starts, one each at left tackle and right tackle. In 2002, he made the jump to a full-time starter at right guard and one was one of three Bills linemen, along with Ruben Brown and Trey Teague, to start all 16 games. But he seemed to fall out of favor last year when he played in only six games with four starts for the Bills. He was actually inactive for the first eight games, but started the last four at left tackle in place of the injured Jonas Jennings. He has played in 32 NFL games with 22 starts.
The trusted source for pro football information for Marques Sullivan. Get statistics, transactions. biographical data and more at Pro Football Archives.
www.profootballarchives.com
In memory of Charles McKee, who would have turned 76 today
Born Feb 2, 1950 in Little Rock, Arkansas; hometown Phoenix AZ
Died December 30, 2025 at the age of 75
Patriot wide receiver, 1972 taxi squad
Claimed off waivers on November 27, 1972
Pats résumé: one partial season on the taxi squad
I'm not sure what happened with Charlie McKee; injury perhaps? He was the 52nd overall selection of the 1972 draft by Dallas out of Arizona, but was waived six days before the season opener. After that it gets murky, being claimed by either the Cardinals, Vikings or both, then landing in New England in November. He eventually was signed by the Detroit Wheels of the World Football League, returned to the NFL with the Broncos and Jets in 1975 - but never made it on to an active roster to play a down in the NFL. Somewhat unusual for a guy drafted that early.
The trusted source for pro football information for Charlie McKee. Get statistics, transactions. biographical data and more at Pro Football Archives.
www.profootballarchives.com
Celebrate the life of Charles E McKee (1950-2025) from Scottsdale, AZ. Read their obituary, share memories, and express condolences.
www.echovita.com
Greg Hansen's Notebook: When McKee completed his UA football career, he had caught a UA-record 19 touchdown passes. His 1,652 receiving yards were also No. 1 in school history.
tucson.com
Happy 25th birthday to Jordan Polk
Born Feb 2, 2001 in Arlington, Texas
Patriot cornerback, 2025 offseason; uniform #39
Signed as an undrafted rookie from Texas State on May 9, 2025
Pats résumé: one full offseason and training camp
Jordan Polk was one of 14 players released on August 22, one day after the third preseason game. His pro football career is presumably over as he was not picked up by any NFL teams for the entire 2025 season.
Previewing the Patriots cornerback heading into his first season in the NFL.
www.patspulpit.com
Despite offering experience and versatility as a cornerback/safety hybrid, Polk flew under the radar coming out of Lamar High School in Arlington, TX. He ended up joining Texas A&M University-Commerce (which was renamed to East Texas A&M in 2024) as a no-star recruit in 2019 and ended up spending five years with the Lions.
Polk transferred to Texas State in 2024 to add 13 more games to his tally. Over the total course of his six-year college career, he appeared in 39 games with 26 starts and registered two interceptions as well as six forced fumbles with two recoveries.
Jordan Polk (10) DB - 2019: Redshirt Prior to A&M-Commerce: Two-year letter winner in football and track at Arlington Lamar... Was named Second Team All-State
lionathletics.com
Jordan Polk (10) Cornerback - Accolades 2024 All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention 2024 (Redshirt senior) All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention... Started all 13 games...
txst.com
The trusted source for pro football information about Jordan Polk. Get statistics, transactions. biographical data and more at Pro Football Archives.
www.profootballarchives.com
Other players born on February 2 with a New England connection:
Harry Swayne, 61 (1965)
Draft Pick Trade
On February 19, 1987 the Pats acquired Sean Farrell from Tampa Bay for three draft picks:
- 1987 second round pick (#51-Don Smith)
- 1987 seventh round pick (#190-Harry Swayne)
- 1987 ninth round pick (#246-Greg Davis)
Swayne never amounted to anything for the Bucs, but once he left there had a productive career with the Chargers, Broncos, and Colts. He played in 186 games over 15 NFL seasons. Farrell started 43 games with the Pats from 1987-1989, then was waived after spending 1990 on injured reserve.
Rutgers University Athletics
scarletknights.com
Wayne Fontes, 86 (1940)
Born in New Bedford; Wareham High School
Wayne Fontes was a defensive back for the 1962 New York Titans, and later went on to become a defensive coordinator with the Bucs (1982-84) and Lions ('85-'88). Fontes was the Detroit head coach from 1988 to 1996, going to the playoffs four times. He was also the head coach that the Lions won their only postseason game during a span of
sixty four years!
After Detroit defeated Cleveland 59-14 to win the 1957 NFL championship, they fell prey to
The Curse of Bobby Layne. Despite having led the Lions to three championships, the Lions traded the star to Pittsburgh. Detroit did not win another playoff game for 46 years, when Fontes' Lions routed Dallas 38-6 in a 1991 divisional round game - beating a Cowboys team that was coached by Jimmy Johnson and included future hall of famers Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. Among those on Fontes' staff were former Patriot coaches
Raymond Berry (quarterbacks coach) and
Hank Bullough (defensive coordinator).
Detroit would then go 32 more seasons before finally winning another postseason game on January 14, 2024, when the Lions defeated the Rams 24-23 - in a game where the two team's quarterbacks played agaainst their former team.
The Detroit Lions have only won a single playoff game since former quarterback Bobby Layne was traded and allegedly cursed the team in 1958.
www.freep.com
"Who could ever forget that Dallas Cowboys game?" Fontes reminisced on 97.1 The Ticket on Friday morning.
www.cbsnews.com
Since 1957, Lions' tortured history riddled with coaching zigs - Detroit News, Oct 9, 2020
James Nixon, 38 (1988)
Born and raised in New Haven; Hyde Leadership High School in New Haven; Bridgton Academy in Maine
Packer CB, 2012-2013
