Mike Taliaferro undoubtedly deserves a higher ranking than Deatrich Wise in Patriots folklore, but he lands here since Wise literally played in one hundred more games with the Pats than the guy whose last name actually has an easy pronunciation,
TALL-ih-fer.
Today in Patriots History
The OG of the "Curse of 17"
The Red Sox were known for long having endured the mythical Curse of the Bambino, Babe Ruth. Perhaps the Patriots have a curse of another Babe. On July 20, 1968 the Patriots traded 38-year old
Babe Parilli to the Jets for Mike Taliaferro, thus creating the maelstrom now known as the
Curse of #17.
Happy 85th birthday Mike Taliaferro
Born July 26, 1941 in Houston
Patriots quarterback 1968-70; uniform #17
Acquired on July 20, 1968 from the Jets for Babe Parilli
Pats résumé: three seasons, 32 games (25 starts), 8-17 record as a starter (32%)
44.9% completion rate, 27 touchdown passes, 44 interceptions, 3,920 passing yards, 57 sacks
Myron Eugene 'Mike' Taliaferro (usually pronounced 'Toliver') was the quarterback for Illinois when they improved from a 2-7 record in 1962 to winning the Rose Bowl in 1963, finishing a one-loss season as the #3 ranked team in the country. The Illini didn't pass the ball much that season: 52 rushes versus 15 passes per game. That ground game was led by
**** Butkus playing center on offense, and All-American
Jim Grabowski at running back. And with Taliaferro throwing for just 450 yards (with 2 td/9 Int), he wasn't exactly a hot commodity. Mike was drafted by both New York teams: in the 10th round (138th) by the Giants, and 28th round (219th) by the Jets. Odd as it may sound today, Taliaferro was far more impressed by the Jets than the Giants in his interviews, in particular by
Weeb Ewbank. Mike commented that the Giants "seemed more intent on discussing their vacation plans and where they were going. They didn't have the same focus that Weeb had." As a result Taliaferro chose to sign with the Jets and the AFL over the Giants and the NFL.
Ewbank began his coaching career working for
Paul Brown, then became coach of the Baltimore Colts in their second year of existence in 1954. While there the team won two NFL championships, in 1958 and 1959. Ewbank was fired in 1962 (replaced by
Don Shula), and became the Jets head coach in 1963. His first two seasons in Queens ended with identical 5-8-1 records, with Taliaferro on the bench behind starter (no, I did not make this name up)
**** Wood. In '65 the Jets traded Wood, but any hopes Taliaferro had of becoming the full time starter were quickly squashed. The Jets drafted
Joe Namath with the first overall pick. For some unknown they doubled and tripled down, cornering the market on quarterbacks by selecting Heisman Trophy winner
John Huarte in the second, and then two more QBs in the fourth and seventh rounds.
Taliaferro started the first two games, losing both while going 4-21 and 4-12 for a combined 82 yards passing. Namath took over in week three and threw for 287 yards, but after going 5-21 in week six Ewbanks pulled Namath and Taliaferro started the next three games. Despite winning back-to-back games, Taliaferro's performance was subpar (13-29 in those two wins, with one TD and four picks). Namath started the rest of the way, winning five of the last eight games.
Over the next two seasons Taliaferro rarely got any playing time. For fans that still get angry with
Jarrett Stidham and then
Cam Newton being the plan at quarterback in 2020, that is nothing compared to the Boston Patriots of 1968 and 1969. In '68
Babe Parilli won a Super Bowl ring as Joe Namath's backup while the Pats - who had come very close to representing the AFL in the first super bowl just two years prior - floundered to a 4-10 record. Taliaferro and
Tom Sherman were just not starting quarterback material, and it didn't get any better a year later when the options at QB were Taliaferro and
Kim Hammond. There was nothing in his college or pro football career that created a reason for optimism, and the performance on the field proved those concerns to be valid. Taliaferro became the bullseye of wrath for frustrated Pats fans, going 8-17 in 25 starts, with 27 touchdowns versus 44 interceptions.
Then to add insult to injury the Patriots went out and supposedly cured their quarterback dilemma by adding
Joe Kapp in 1970, who was so bad he made Taliaferro look good in comparison.
To his credit, Taliaferro did make a marked improvement in his play while with the Pats. After a 4 TD/15 Int performance in his first season with the Patriots, Mike had a 19/18 TD-Int ratio in 1969, while upping his completion percentage by ten points. Remarkably, Taliaferro was named to the Pro Bowl in 1969, but I am finding details about that a bit murky. For the entire existence of the AFL there was an All-Star game, East division versus West. My understanding was that those who were named to those teams were considered to be a Pro Bowler, by modern definition of that term. But when I look up the
1969 AFL All Star roster, the quarterbacks for the East were Namath and
Bob Griese. Then when I search for the
1969 AFL Pro Bowl roster I find Taliaferro's name listed - among
seven quarterbacks! And that list does not include Griese either - but does include a team's backup QB (KC's
Mike Livingston).
Back to Taliaferro: he was released early in the 1972 training camp, as the Pats went with second-year incumbent
Jim Plunkett and
Brian Dowling as his backup at quarterback. Taliaferro signed with Buffalo, a year later was traded to Washington, and then played for Houston in the World Football League in 1974. Mike Taliaferro played in 32 games for the Patriots (with 25 starts) and in 82 NFL games for the Jets, Pats and Bills. After his pro football career ended he worked in mortgage banking, specifically in financing for single family residential properties.
AFL Highlights, Raiders vs Pats (2:28)
Sept 28, 1969 at Alumni Stadium. Heading into the game the Raiders were 2-0 while the Patriots were 0-2.
The story of the game was the quarterbacks; Daryle Lamonica had 4 TD passes while Mike Taliaferro had 3 TD passes.
Final score: Oakland 38, Boston 23.
More details about Mike Taliaferro here:
Catch Up with the 1963 Draft Pick from Illinois
www.newyorkjets.com
List of players to wear #17 for the Patriots:
- - 1968-70: Mike Taliaferro
- - 1975: Elmo Wright -- one season, 4 receptions
- - 1976-81: Tom Owen -- 3TD, 9 Int, 0-1 as starter
- - 1984: Luke Prestridge -- punter never played in NFL again
- - 1992: Jeff Carlson -- 18-for-49, 36.7% completion rate; vital role in Pats having worst record in NFL in '92.
- - 1997: Tony Gaiter -- one game
- - 1998: Henry Ellard -- sad end to a great NFL career
- - 1999-2000: John Friesz -- another to end his NFL career wearing #17
- - 2003: Dedric Ward -- 7 receptions were underwhelming
- - 2006-07: Chad Jackson -- the #17 cursed his knees
- - 2010-11: Taylor Price -- 3rd round bust
- - 2012: Greg Salas -- only one game; another disappointment
- - 2013-15: Aaron Dobson -- 'Dropson' missed more games than he played in
- - 2017: Bernard Reedy -- practice squad material
- - 2018: Riley McCarron -- wasn't he supposed to be the next Wes Welker in the slot?
- - 2019: Antonio Brown -- one whole game with the Patriots
- - 2020-21: Kristian Wilkerson -- didn't live up to hype: 4 games, 4 receptions
- - 2022: Michael Palardy -- another punter who has yet to play in another NFL game
- 2023: Scotty Washington -- 2022 practice squad player did not make the 2023 roster
- - 2023: Bryce Baringer -- Is it possible that after half a century, the curse has been broken?
January 19, 1969 – Gator Bowl Eastern Division Squad 7 Bob Griese Miami Quarterback 11 Jim Turner New York Kicker 12 Joe Namath New York Quarterback 13 Don Maynard New York Flanker 20 Miller Farr Houston Defensive Back 21 Jim Kiick Miami Running Back 25 Leroy Mitchell Boston...
talesfromtheamericanfootballleague.com
Check out the 1969 AFL Pro Bowlers including AFC and NFC results and standings on Pro-football-reference.com
www.pro-football-reference.com
10-20-68: Pats rebound and beat the Bills, 23-6 - Football at Fenway
Mike Taliaferro had his first feast of the season. After Nick Buoniconti collected key interceptions, Taliaferro knocked out two touchdown passes in a wet drizzle at Fenway Park. Both passes were to Jim Whalen, as the Patriots exploded in the third quarter. At the four minute mark of the third period Buoniconti made his first pick giving the Pats the ball at the Buffalo 48-yard line. Three plays later, Taliaferro hit Thomas over the middle. Next he hit Whalen at the 10-yard line who took it in. This put the Patriots in front 13 to 6.
On the next kickoff Max Anderson fumbled and Willie Porter recovered it for the Pats on the Bills' 17-yd line. Cappy converted this into his third field goal making it 16-6. Then with the end of the quarter ending, Buoniconti intercepted another pass off rookie Dan Darragh. This set up the second Whalen TD. Taliaferro wanted to throw to Art Graham, but he saw Whalen free in the end zone and hit him in stride.
Offensively, the Patriots chalked up 203 yards and the ground via Jim Nance and Gene Thomas. Nance, with his best day thus far this season, gained 82 yards while Thomas picked up 76. So effective was the ground game that Taliaferro only passed 12 times.
Every NFL Team’s Worst Quarterback of All-Time
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New England Patriots: Mike Taliaferro
- It didn’t matter that Taliaerro had stunk it up for the rival Jets through four seasons before he arrived in New England for 1968, when he had four touchdowns to 15 interceptions in seven games and a 26.9 rating. He had an 8-17 record in total through three seasons with the Patriots.
AFL Teams: Boston Patriots -- Chiefs Hall of Honor
In an attempt to trade some of the age for youth and enthusiasm, Mike Holovak deals Babe Parilli to the New York Jets for quarterback Mike Taliaferro. But Taliaferro completes less than 40 percent of his passes and eventually loses his job to rookie Tom Sherman. Few of the other Patriots respond with good seasons. Jim Nance injures an ankle that limits his effectiveness. Bad knees knock defensive end Larry Eisenhauer and middle linebacker Nick Buoniconti out of the lineup for a considerable time. Only tight end Jim Whalen, who makes 47 receptions, is a real threat on a team that finishes with a 4-10 record.
The New England Patriots should retire the No. 17 -- at least when it comes to wide receivers.
www.masslive.com
Detailing the cursed No. 17 for the New England Patriots.
247sports.com
FOXBOROUGH -- On Tuesday, the Patriots announced some numbers for some of their new players, and some changed digits for some returnees. While it’s important to note that things can change between now and the start of training camp, here is who’s who at this point on the calendar, and some...
www.bostonsportsjournal.com
It’s one of the weirdest trends in New England. Receivers who wear No. 17 here in the Bill Belichick era have a terrible history.
www.nytimes.com
Nine players have worn the number in the Bill Belichick era. All nine failed to distinguish themselves.
www.bostonglobe.com
Topps Trading Cards could not be bothered to take a new picture of Taliaferro for five years - even when he switched teams
How did Taliaferro get included with these other greats for this 4-in-1 set?
In 1971 Topps finally used a new photo
May 1965: One of these is not like the others.
Jim Turner, John Huarte, head coach Weeb Ewbank, Joe Namath, Mike Taliaferro during the Jets summer training camp
The trusted source for pro football information about Mike Taliaferro. Get statistics, transactions. biographical data and more at Pro Football Archives.
www.profootballarchives.com
