Today In Patriots History Feb 23, 2010: Mosi Tatupu passes away at the age of 54

Today marks the 16th anniversary of a sad day in Patriots history. Former running back and special teams ace Mosi Tatupu suffered a heart attack at his home in Plainville on this date in 2010, and died at the far-too-young age of 54.

The fan favorite had his best game in the historic Squish the Fish game. Tatupu memorably placed a bone jarring hit on a Miami kick returner, causing a fumble that led to a Patriot touchdown. Later in the second half Tatupu bulled his way in for a touchdown that essentially clinched the victory, which put the Patriots in their first ever Super Bowl. Sadly he died far too young, probably from CTE that came about from his selflessly reckless style of play.





The legacy of his inspired special teams play lives on. The Mosi Tatupu Award is now given annually to the College Football Special Teams Player of the Year by the Maui Quarterback Club and the Hula Bowl.





Although he was not a starter, Tatupu still ranks 17th in Patriot history with 2,415 rushing yards and 16th with 18 rushing touchdowns (Mosi was 8th and 6th respectively when he departed after the 1990 season). Tatupu missed only 14 games in 13 years with the Patriots, with half of those coming after a 1982 injury. At the time his 194 regular season games played was the third most in franchise history, and to this day ranks seventh all time behind only Tom Brady, Matthew Slater, Bruce Armstrong, Julius Adams, Devin McCourty and Stephen Gostkowski.

Obviously a man that I respected. RIP.

The founder of the Patriots franchise passed away onthis date 28 years ago. Sullivan was born in Lowell in 1915. He graduated from Lowell High School in 1933, then from Boston College in 1937. The son of a Boston Globe reporter, Sullivan became a sportswriter after college. He also served as a publicity director for Boston College, the University of Notre Dame, and MLB's Boston Braves. Sullivan also served in the United States Navy during this time, where he worked as the Publicity Officer for the Bureau of Aeronautics. In 1947, while the Braves' public relations director, Sullivan helped found the pediatric cancer charity long associated with the Boston Red Sox, The Jimmy Fund.


In 1959, Sullivan requested a National Football League franchise in Boston. The NFL turned his offer down, primarily because five previous attempts at NFL franchises in Boston had either folded or moved. After the NFL denied his request, Sullivan sought to become a charter member of the new American Football League. He led a ten-man syndicate that was awarded the league's eighth and final team for their inaugural season in 1960 as the Boston Patriots, paying a franchise fee of $25,000. In 1964, Sullivan helped the AFL negotiate a 5-year, $30 million television agreement with NBC. That deal was not only critical to the survival of the AFL, it also motivated the NFL into merging with the new league.


In a 1974 power struggle, Sullivan was ousted as president of the Patriots, despite owning more than 20% of the voting stock. But by the end of 1975, the Sullivans had bought out the minority partners and regained control. This was out of necessity; the only way he could pay back the $5.3 million in loans that he took out to buy out his partners was to acquire all of the outstanding stock. In order to do this, Sullivan needed to buy out the non-voting public shareholders. Sullivan structured a deal that provided the non-voting public shareholders $15 per share and the transaction was approved by the shareholder class. Prior to the shareholders vote, Sullivan pushed a bill through the Massachusetts legislature that allowed companies to buy back non-voting public shares if a majority of shareholders voted in favor, rather than the two-thirds vote that was required before the law was passed.


Sullivan now had full control - but he also had debt. This led to some poor decisions based on short-term finances rather than a long-range view of what was best for the team. The team initially refused to pay Darryl Stingley's health insurance after he was paralyzed. Super bowl opportunities were flushed down the toilet due to the refusal to pay key players. Leon Gray, John Hannah and Mike Haynes all held out, with Gray and Haynes being traded away as a result. Sam Cunningham sat out an entire season over a contract dispute. Russ Francis retired at age 27 over Sullivan's treatment of Stingley, and Chuck Fairbanks - who had deals agreed upon with Hannah and Gray, then had to go back and tell them 'sorry, Billy won't okay this contract' - left over the pettiness and cheapness. The final straw was the family's loss of millions bankrolling Michael Jackson's concert tour, as the music-industry naive Sullivans were taken to the shed by street-wise Don King while the Jacksons ran up exorbitant expenses. Billy's son Chuck Sullivan put up the stadium as collateral for money to finance the tour; the net result forced Sullivan to sell the stadium and the team.


Billy Sullivan remained as the team's President until 1992, when Victor Kiam sold the Patriots to James Orthwein. Sullivan died after an eight-year battle with prostate cancer. He was posthumously inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame in 2009, the first non-player to receive the honor.








Interesting article below on Billy Sullivan's work with the Boston Braves, and an attempt from the 1960s to build a multi-purpose sports complex, including a domed stadium for the Patriots and Red Sox, next to an arena that would replace the old Boston Garden for the Bruins and Celtics:

February 23, 2005:
Joel Collier is named Assistant Secondary Coach
Harold Nash is named Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach
Earthwind Moreland, Buck Rasmussen, Wilbert Brown and Zeron Flemister are released


There were many changes following the Pats third super bowl victory in four seasons. Romeo Crennel resigned as DC the day after the Patriots defeated Philadelphia, to accept a job as head coach of the Browns. A few days later defensive backs coach Eric Mangini was promoted to DC. Another newsworthy event between the super bowl and this date: Tedy Bruschi had a stroke. And before the month of February was over, Ty Law was released, Duke OC/QB coach Bill O'Brien was hired as a coaching assistant, and Roman Phifer was let go.


Patriots release four players; hire two coaches



Patriots add to coaching staff; release four players - Patriots.com








February 23, 2018:
Linebacker David Harris retires

The move left the Patriots with three players who were either on injured reserve (Dont’a Hightower, pectoral tear; Shea McClellin, head injury) or the non-football injury list (Harvey Langi, recovering from a car accident) - plus three who finished the season on the active roster as part of the 53-man team heading into Super Bowl 52: Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts and Nicholas Grigsby.

Harris was not going to be brought back anyways, as his impact on the field was not remotely close to the outlay (two-year, $5 million contract). Harris had 1,109 tackles over his career, all but one with the Jets. He holds the NFL record for most solo tackles in a game, 20.












February 23, 2019:
The airwaves and internet was buzzing from the previous day's news that Robert Kraft had been charged with solicitation of prostitution as part of a sex trafficking investigation and sting at the Orchids of Asia massage parlor in hoity-toity Jupiter, Florida.




February 23, 2023:
Robert Perryman passes away at the age of 58 'after a rapid decline with dementia'

A native of Bourne Mass, the fullback was a third-round selection by the Patriots in 1987, from Michigan. Bob played in 49 games with 38 starts over four seasons with the Patriots, scoring nine touchdowns. In a statistical anomaly, Perryman led the Patriots in scoring in 1988 with 36 points. (The Pats ranked 24th in scoring in '88, and neither Teddy Garcia nor Jason Staurovsky were competent kickers.)







February 23, 2026:

Happy 40th birthday to Jerod Mayo
Born February 23, 1986 in Hampton, Virginia
Patriot MLB, 2008-15; uniform #51
Pats first round (10th overall) selection of the 2008 draft, from Tennessee
Pats résumé: 8 seasons, 103 games, 802 tackles; 2008 Defensive Rookie of the Year;
1x All Pro, 2x Pro Bowl; Patriots All 2010s Team; one SB ring (on IR)


Happy birthday to Jerod Mayo. May your next career be more productive and fulfilling than your last one was - an endeavour that you were woefully unprepared for, and far too inexperienced to be realistically expected to succeed in.




Jerod Mayo was the New England Patriots team captain for seven consecutive seasons. The defensive play caller appeared in 111 games, all with the Patriots. He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2008 and an All Pro two years later when he led the NFL in tackles. Mayo ranks eighth in franchise history in tackles, tenth in fumble recoveries, 11th in tackles for a loss and fourth in passes defensed by a linebacker.

To me he was a high-effort player that was for the most part adequate to good in every phase of the game, yet simultaneously not great in any one area either. If I recall correctly very few opponents were able to shed his tackles - but on the other hand, he looked awfully slow at times, not suited to having to play in space. He was a team captain, handling the defensive play calls; I'm unsure if that contribution was overstated or under appreciated. And while his stats for number of tackles is impressive, many of those tackles were due to the defensive line funneling plays towards him. He was a bit of an enigma: a very good player, yet at the same time a guy that never quite lived up to his draft status.




Three consecutive seasons ending on IR resulted in Mayo’s decision to retire from football at the age of 29. He was then hired by Optum, the technology division of UnitedHealth. In 2019 the Patriots the Patriots lured Mayo back to football as their inside linebackers coach. He remained in that position through the 2023 season, then took over as the franchise's 14th non-interim head coach in 2024.

Mayo joins Rod Rust as one of only two Patriot head coaches to be fired after just one season. His career .235 winning percentage as a head coach - bolstered by a week 18 gift versus Buffalo - is the second worst in team history, better only than Rust's .063 percentage in 1990. To put it in perspective, Clive Rush (5-16), John Mazur (9-21) and **** MacPherson (8-24) all had better winning percentages as a Pats head coach than Jerod Mayo did.


27-photo slide show, via Patriots.com:


Feb 16, 2016:


Jan 12, 2024:


Jan 10, 2024:

Jan 11, 2024:

Jan 17, 2024:

Jan 24, 2024:

Nov 25, 2024:

Jan 5, 2025:

Jan 9, 2025:

Happy 28th birthday to Rhamondre Stevenson
Born February 23, 1998 in Las Vegas, Nevada
Patriot RB, 2021-present; uniform #38
Pats 4th round selection (120th overall) of the 2021 draft, from Oklahoma
Pats résumé: five seasons, 70 games (48 starts); 3,669 yards rushing, 4.4 ypc, 32 touchdowns;
Led team in rushing in 2022, 2024, 2025; 403 yards in five postseason games


Rhamondre Stevenson is one of just nine players to rush for over 3,000 yards in Pats franchise history. He ranks fifth in franchise history with 3,669 yards rushing and ninth with 28 career rushing touchdowns. In addition his 4.4 yards per carry ranks fifth all-time among Patriots with at least 250 rushing attempts. (Steve Grogan, 445 carries, 4.9 ypc; Danny Woodhead, 250 carries, 4.8 ypc; Dion Lewis, 293 carries, 4.8 ypc; Damien Harris, 449 carries, 4.7 ypc). Rham's 836 carries ranks 7th in franchise history; nobody with at least 450 rushes averaged as many yards per carry.


May 1, 2021:





It wasn't until I just re-read Ian's article below before I remembered what an extreme hit-and-miss the 2021 draft was:
1st round, QB Mac Jones
2nd round, DT Christian Barmore
3rd round, DE Ronnie Perkins
4th round, RB Rhamondre Stevenson
5th round, LB Cameron McGrone
6th round, S Joshuah Bledsoe
6th round, OT William Sherman
7th round, WR Tre Nixon

Perkins and McGrone were such immense non-factors, I had completely forgotten about them - as well as the fact that the third rounder came about as a compensatory pick for Tom Brady's departure in free agency. That's a useful trivia question/answer to throw at some unsuspecting, annoying know-it-all football fan's face when needed.

May 3, 2021:







Sept 23, 2024:


Oct 4, 2024:


Feb 17, 2025:




Feb 23, 2025:

In memory of John Stephens, born on this date 60 years ago
Born February 23, 1966; from Springhill, Louisiana
Died September 1, 2009 at the age of 43 near Shreveport, Louisiana
Patriot running back, 1988-1992; uniform #44
Pats first round (17th overall) selection of the 1988 draft, from NW Louisiana State
Pats résumé: five seasons, 76 games (59 starts); 3,249 yards rushing, 4,030 yards from scrimmage, 18 TD; 1988 All Pro & Rookie of the Year


John Stephens got off to a great start with the Patriots, as he was the 1988 Offensive Rookie of the Year when he rushed for 1,168 yards. The previous year the Pats ranked 20th in rushing yards, led by Tony Collins - who ran for just 3.2 yards per carry and 474 yards. In '88 the Pats improved to ninth in rushing yardage.

On October 22, 1989, Stephens was involved in a violent collision that left 49ers safety Jeff Fuller with a career-ending spinal injury. To me, Stephens was never the same player again after that play - either physically or mentally. While he did run for over 800 yards in each of the next two seasons, the effectiveness dropped, before Leonard Russell replaced him as the lead tailback.

On March 30, 1990 the Patriots traded Stephens to Green Bay in exchange for a fourth round draft pick. Over the course of his five seasons with the Pats, Stephens rushed for 3,440 yards and scored 19 touchdowns.


Stephens was a deeply troubled man. He allegedly fathered nine children from seven women. That was no big deal compared to the fact that he was also a serial rapist. In 1994 Stephens plead guilty to rape charges in Kansas City, but was only placed on probation. He was awaiting trial in 2009 for yet another sexual assault, and facing up to 80 years in jail. Stephens lost control of his pickup truck on a back road, crashed into trees and died, avoiding that ignominy.

His daughter Sloane is a professional tennis player who won the 2017 US Open and was once ranked number three on the tour, and his son John Stephens Jr. was a tight end with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024-25.




2005 Northwestern State HoF Induction:


May 28, 2014 retrospective:
Rookie of the Year: John Stephens, 1988 - Today in Pro Football History





Aug 12, 1990:












Oct 23, 1989:


Oct 1, 2023:


Oct 11, 1992:


Sept 4, 1994:


May 12, 2009:


May 14, 2009:


Sept 2, 2009:


Sept 2, 2009:


Sept 3, 2009 - Patriots.com


Sept 11, 2017:




More on Sloane Stephens:

Sept 4, 2009:

Jan 24, 2013:

May 9, 2013:

Sept 12, 2017:

Feb 25, 2019:




And John Stephens Jr:

Nov 30, 2016:

Happy 42nd birthday to Jonathan Wilhite
Born February 23, 1984 in Monroe, Louisiana
Patriot CB, 2008-2010; uniform #24
Pats fourth round selection (129th overall) of the 2008 draft, from Auburn
Pats résumé: 3 seasons, 39 games (13 starts); three interceptions, one fumble recovery


The 5’9, 183 pound corner played in 39 games with 13 starts over three seasons with the Pats. Wilhite had three interceptions and nine pass deflections with New England. He was unable to crack the starting lineup during his tenure with the Patriots despite constant turnover. As a rookie Wilhite watched Deltha O’Neal and Ellis Hobbs start, and in year two it was Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. Then in 2010 Wilhite was surpassed on the depth chart by Devin McCourty, Kyle Arrington and Darius Butler.

Wilhite was waived at the end of training camp in 2011, and signed by Denver a few days later. He played in 15 games for the Broncos that year - once again primarily in nickel and dime situations (two starts), with one pick. The Bears signed him early in the 2012 offseason but released him at the end of training camp - and that was the end of his NFL career.


In 2009 Wilhite pulled a groin muscle in a rather odd manner. North Attleboro police reported that Wilhite came home and two people in his parking lot approached him and began yelling at him. Wilhite ran away to a Cumberland Farms store to call police, with the sprint resulting in the bizarre injury.


Another bit of trivia: Jonathan Wilhite began his collegiate career at Butler - not the university in Indiana known for its basketball teams, but Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas. In 2011 there were not one, not two, but six former Butler CC football players on NFL rosters: Wilhite, DT Shaun Smith, DE Jeremy Mincey, CB Elbert Mack, RB Ryan Torain and DE Markus White.







Other random Jonathan Wilhite headlines:

April 27, 2008 - Mike Reiss:


July 17, 2008:
Patriots sign CB Jonathan Wilhite - Patriots.com


June 20, 2008:
Meet the Rookies: CB Jonathan Wilhite - Patriots.com





Sept 29, 2009 - Mike Reiss:







Nov 19, 2009:


Dec 1, 2009 - Albert Breer:




July 25, 2010 - Glen Farley:

Happy 32nd birthday to Vincent Valentine
Born February 23, 1994; from Edwardsville, Illinois
Patriot DT, 2016-2018; uniform #99
Pats third round (96th overall) selection of the 2016 draft, from Nebraska
Pats résumé: 1 season, 13 games (2 starts); 19 tackles, one sack; all 3 playoff games, with a ring from the "28-3" game vs Atlanta

Vincent Valentine showed some promise as a rookie. He was part of the standard rotation as a run stopping specialist, appearing in 13 games while on the field for 28% of the defensive snaps. Valentine suffered a knee injury and spent nearly all of 2017 on injured reserve. He failed to make the roster in 2018, and was relegated to starting the season on the practice squad.

The injury must have been extremely severe; a month later the Patriots released Valentine. He played in just three more NFL games after that - with his pro football career over at the age of 25, when Arizona cut him at the end of their 2019 training camp.


May 4, 2016:


Sept 2, 2016:


Jan 23, 2017:




Jan 30, 2017:


Sept 22, 2017 - Patriots.com:


Aug 4, 2018:


Aug 22, 2018:

In memory of Dave McCurry
Born February 23, 1951 in Grinnell, Iowa; died August 13, 2020 at the age of 69 in Coralville, Florida
Patriot safety, 1974; uniform #40
Signed as a free agent during the 1974 offseason, date unknown

Dave McCurry was one of the last two-way players in college football. Miami drafted the Iowa State alum in the fifth round of the 1973 draft. McCurry spent most of the 1974 season on injured reserve, appearing in two games with the Patriots after being activated on November 27. McCurry finished his pro football career in 1975 with the Jacksonville Express, in the World Football League's final year of existence.








Happy 40th birthday to Bear Pascoe
Born February 23, 1986; from Porterville, California
Patriot TE, 2016 offseason; uniform #83
Signed as a free agent on July 27, 2016

Come on, who didn’t root for a tight end named Bear?! McKenna Sean Pascoe was a seven-year veteran when he signed with the Patriots. Unfortunately the 6’5 Fresno State alum was unable to impress the staff over Matt Lengel, Cameron Fleming and Martellus Bennett, competing as a backup to Rob Gronkowski. Foxboro was the final stop of his NFL career when Pascoe was cut on August 22, 2016. At least he has a ‘Fairlea Wicked’ horse. Pascoe totaled 40 receptions and two touchdowns in his NFL career.






Happy 36th birthday to Kevin Dorsey
Born February 23, 1990; from District Heights, Maryland
Patriot WR, 2015 offseason
Signed as a free agent on March 11, 2015

Kevin Dorsey had spent two years in the Green Bay Packers organization before coming to Foxborough. The wide receiver from Maryland did not make it to the start of training camp, released on May 9. His final NFL stat line reads one recption, three games played and 65 snaps.








Happy 51st birthday to Jim Murphy
Born February 23, 1975 in Reading, Mass
Patriot QB, 1998-99 offseasons; uniform #7
Signed as an undrafted rookie from Northeastern on Feb 19, 1998

Jim Murphy was one of eleven undrafted rookies the Pats signed immediately after the conclusion of the 1998 draft. He was waived on August 26 and signed to the practice squad, where he remained until being activated prior to the week 17 game against the Jets. Murphy dressed but did not play in that game, serving as a backup to Scott Zolak, while Drew Bledsoe was sidelined with a broken index finger on his throwing hand. A week later the Pats signed veteran QB Todd Philcox, and Murphy returned to the practice squad. On Feb 22, 1999 Murphy was allocated to the Barcelona Dragons of NFL Europe. He was waived as part of final cuts in 1999, then finished his pro football career with the Amsterdam Admirals of NFLE in 2000.

Murphy then became OC at Bentley College from 2001-02, and head coach at Merrimack College from 2003-07. In 2006 Merrimack won the Northeast-10 conference and advanced to the second round of the NCAA D-2 playoffs, and Murphy was named conference Coach of the Year.








In memory of David Bailey, who would have been 76 today
Born February 23, 1950; hometown Jackson, Mississippi
Died September 30, 2011 at the age of 61 in Bailey, MS
Patriot WR, 1973 offseason and training camp
Signed early in the 1973 offseason

6'2, 190 lb Dave Bailey was a three-year veteran at Alabama, where he caught 132 passes for more than 2000 yards and 17 touchdowns. He was an 11th round choice of Green Bay in ‘72 and stuck with the Packers until final roster cuts. The WR corps for new head coach Chuck Fairbanks heading into the 1973 training camp included 4th year vet Reggie Rucker, 3rd year pro Randy Vataha, 2nd year pro Tom Reynolds and rookie Darryl Stingley. Bailey and three other rookies were longshots to make the 40-man roster. Bailey played for Winnipeg in the CFL in 1974, and the WFL's Birmingham Vulcans in 1975.

February 23 is the birth date of four Pro Football Hall of Famers, plus a few other very good NFL players.


Happy 83rd birthday to Fred Biletnikoff
Born Feb 23, 1943 in Erie, PA
Raiders WR 1965-1978
2x AFL All-Star
2x 1st Team All Pro
6x Pro Bowl
1x AFL champion, 1x Super Bowl champion
15.2 yards per catch, 8,974 yards receiving, 76 touchdowns
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1988

The guy was so good they named an annual award for the outstanding college receiver after him.











In memory of Bobby Dillon, who would have been 96 today
Born Feb 23, 1930 in Pendleton, Texas
Packers saftey, 1952-1959
First Team All-American, 1951 with Texas
4x First Team All pro
4x Pro Bowl
52 interceptions, 5 pick-sixes, 976 yards in interception returns in 94 games
Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, 1974
Texas Sports Hall of Fame, 1996
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2020

Here's the kicker: Bobby Dillon did all that with only one eye, the other having been removed at age 10 from multiple childhood accidents. During an NFL game, Dillon's glass eye fell out onto the field. As he picked it up, a referee joked to Dillon, "What would you do if you lost your other eye?" Dillon responded, "I'd be a referee."








In memory of Dante Lavelli, who would have been 103 today
Born Feb 23, 1923 in Hudson, Ohio
Browns end, 1946-1956
16.8 yards per catch, 6,488 yards receiving, 62 touchdowns
3x First Team All Pro, 3x Pro Bowl
4x AAFC champion
3x NFL champion
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1975
Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame, 1976
Cleveland Browns Ring of Honor, 2010









Happy 86th birthday to Jackie Smith
Born Feb 23, 1940 in Columbia, Mississippi
St Louis Cardinals tight end, 1963-77
4x 2nd Team All Pro
5x Pro Bowl
Northwestern State (Louisiana) Hall of Fame, 1980
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, 1983
Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, 1994
Pro Football Hall of Fame, 1994
St Louis Walk of Fame, 2001
St Louis Sports Hall of Fame, 2009
16.5 yards per reception, 7,918 yards receiving, 40 touchdowns

Jackie Smith was only the third tight end to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Along with John Mackey and Mike Ditka, he is recognized as one of the key players that helped revolutionize the position.









Happy 89th birthday to Tom Osbourne
Born Feb 23, 1937 in Hastings, Nebraska
Washington Redskins split end, 1960-61
Nebraska head coach, 1973-1997
College Football Hall of Fame, 1999


The 1993 Cornhuskers were 11-0 before losing 18-16 to FSU for the national championship in the Orange Bowl, marking their seventh consecutive bowl loss. Nebraska turned around and went undefeated and winning the college football national championship in three of the next four seasons: 24-17 over Miami in the Orange Bowl; 62-24 over Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators in the Fiesta Bowl; and 42-17 over Tennessee and Peyton Manning in the Orange Bowl. After that 1993 season the BCS college championship was created, as #1 ranked Michigan was left out, because the Big 10 and Pac 10 champions were contractually obligated to play in the Rose Bowl. Osborne resigned after that third championship and became a congressman, serving three terms in DC before returning to Lincoln as the Cornhuskers athletic director from 2007 to 2013.





Happy 75th birthday to Ed 'Too Tall' Jones
Born Feb 23, 1951 in Jackson, Tennessee
Cowboys DE, 1974-1989
1x First Team All Pro, 3x Pro Bowl
106 career sacks
Black College Football Hall of Fame, 2013
For some strange reason not in the Cowboys Ring of Honor







Happy 45th birthday to Charles 'Peanut' Tillman
Born Feb 23, 1981 in Chicago
Bears/Panthers CB, 2010-2015
1x First Team All Pro, 2x Pro Bowl
38 interceptions, eight pick-sixes, 141 pass deflections
NFL record for forced fumbles in a game (4)
NFL record for forced fumbles in a season (10)
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, 2020
FBI agent, 2017-2025







In memory of Ed Flanagan
Feb 23, 1944 - May 10, 2023
Lions/Chargers center, 1965-1976
4x Pro Bowl
Detroit Lions All-Time Team, 75th Anniversary Team
Started 129 consecutive games
Missed only three games in 12 seasons










Happy 72nd birthday to Joe Devlin
Born Feb 23, 1954 in Phoenixville, PA
Bills right tackle, 1976-1989
191 games, 179 starts






Happy 76th birthday to Jim Youngblood
Born Feb 23, 1950 in Union, SC
Rams linebacker, 1973-1984
156 games played

Definitely an early memory for me was a player named Mosi Always thought it would have been cool to have signed his kid somehow.

Thanks for the trip down a much appreciated trip down "Memory Lane".

I remember most of these players and of course Billy Sullivan but didn't know about some of the bad stuff about John Stephens.

Sad reminder of how much guys like Mosi meant to this franchise and this fanbase. He wasn’t just a tough runner and special-teams ace, he was someone folks genuinely loved cheering for. Thinking about his energy and what he gave to the Pats, it’s clear his loss at just 54 still hits hard for longtime supporters.

No tribute would be complete without his Simpson's moment:

jmt57 said:

Today in Patriots History
Rest in Peace, Mosi Tatupu
April 26, 1955 - Feb 23, 2010​

Today marks the 16th anniversary of a sad day in Patriots history. Former running back and special teams ace Mosi Tatupu suffered a heart attack at his home in Plainville on this date in 2010, and died at the far-too-young age of 54.

The fan favorite had his best game in the historic Squish the Fish game. Tatupu memorably placed a bone jarring hit on a Miami kick returner, causing a fumble that led to a Patriot touchdown. Later in the second half Tatupu bulled his way in for a touchdown that essentially clinched the victory, which put the Patriots in their first ever Super Bowl. Sadly he died far too young, probably from CTE that came about from his selflessly reckless style of play.

​

The legacy of his inspired special teams play lives on. The Mosi Tatupu Award is now given annually to the College Football Special Teams Player of the Year by the Maui Quarterback Club and the Hula Bowl.

​

Although he was not a starter, Tatupu still ranks 17th in Patriot history with 2,415 rushing yards and 16th with 18 rushing touchdowns (Mosi was 8th and 6th respectively when he departed after the 1990 season). Tatupu missed only 14 games in 13 years with the Patriots, with half of those coming after a 1982 injury. At the time his 194 regular season games played was the third most in franchise history, and to this day ranks seventh all time behind only Tom Brady, Matthew Slater, Bruce Armstrong, Julius Adams, Devin McCourty and Stephen Gostkowski.

Mosi, The Moose From Maoputasi - Mosi Tatupu Career Highlights
7:34 Highlight Video
​

Patriots mourn the passing of Mosi Tatupu

Obituary information for Mosiula Faasuka "Mosi" Tatupu

View Mosiula Faasuka "Mosi" Tatupu's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.

www.rjrossfuneralhomeinc.com

Mosiula “Mosi” Tatupu: The Passing of a Big (Gentle)Man both on Campus and in Our Punahou ’74 Hearts

The news that Mosi Tatupu passed away on February 23 is, to say the least, shockingly unhappy to we who knew him both as a classmate and as a friend. Understandably, much of the press coverage of h…

punahou74.wordpress.com

https://www.oakridger.com/story/news/2010/02/25/mosi-tatupu-was-one-kind/46393167007/

https://www.metrowestdailynews.com/story/news/2010/02/24/mosi-tatupu-remembered-locally-as/41226674007/

Opponents and friends remember the great Mosi Tatupu

Opponents, friends and teammates all pause to remember Hawaii football great Mosi Tatupu, the first...

www.hawaiinewsnow.com

Curry Mourns the Loss of Former Assistant Football Coach Mosi Tatupu

Curry Mourns the Loss of Former Assistant Football Coach Mosi Tatupu

www.curryathletics.com

Mosi Tatupu Suffered from CTE | Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

www.bumc.bu.edu

Mosi Tatupu suffered from CTE

Former New England Patriots running back Mosi Tatupu, who died of a heart attack in 2010 at the age of 54, suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease that has been linked to football-related head trauma.

www.espn.com

Patriots mourn passing of Mosi Tatupu

Former Patriots running back Mosi Tatupu died at the age of 54.

www.boston.com

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TatuMo00.htm

https://x.com/dailysimpsons/status/1454297477507584002

https://www.reddit.com/r/Patriots/comments/i44vlh/39_days_until_kickoff_mosi_tatupu_breaks_two/

Click to expand...

Objectivity seldom is employed in any (outside) analyses of the Patriots. Setting aside his huge popularity, Mosi's contributions to the team, including his MANY clutch plays in the playoffs, along with his longevity and character make him almost as much a no brainer, first ballot, necessity Patriots Hall of Famer as his teammates Julius Adams and Russ Francis.

JoeSixPat said:

No tribute would be complete without his Simpson's moment:

Click to expand...

Thanks for that add!

I wanted to include that scene in the original post, but the XenForo software only allows for five pieces of 'media' (youtube, tiktok, bluesky, twitter, facebook, instagram, etc.) on any one post.

one of my all-time favorite Pats