Today In Patriots History May 27: Make that a double Collins

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Tony Collins​

Happy 67th birthday to Tony Collins
Born May 27, 1959 in Sanford, Florida; hometown Penn Yan, New York
Patriots running back/kick returner, 1981-1987; uniform #33
Pats second round (47th overall) selection of the 1981 draft, from East Carolina
Pats résumé: seven seasons, 102 games (83 starts); 7,003 yards from scrimmage, 44 TD; 6 playoff games;
New England Patriots All-1980s Team

Tony Collins rushed for 4,647 yards with New England , which still ranks as third most in franchise history. By the end of the 1987 season his 32 rushing touchdowns was the third most (tied with Curtis Martin for sixth most now). He was also adept catching the ball out of the backfield, at one top holding the club record for receptions by a running backs with 261 (now 3rd), ranks fourth in receiving yards (2,356, behind only Kevin Faulk, James White and Larry Garron). At that time the 261 career receptions was the third most in team history overall regardless of position, and today still ranks as 14th most. Collins also had 12 receiving touchdowns, a franchise record for running backs that lasted for more than two decades. (White and Faulk are the only RBs with more.)


Collins also had 1,520 touches (third most), 7,003 yards from scrimmage (fifth) and 8,353 all-purpose yardage (sixth) with the Patriots, and his 44 touchdowns ranks seventh on the career leader board. Tony Collins was named to the 1983 and 1984 Pro Bowls, and is a member of the New England Patriots All-Decade Team for the 1980s.

Dec 13, 2012:

Former Pats player tells Foxboro kids about drug abuse

FOXBORO — Tony Collins rolled up more than 7,000 all-purpose yards as an elite running back for the New England Patriots during the 1980s.

www.thesunchronicle.com

In high school and college, he strove to spend more time in the weight room than anyone else, to be first on the field and last off it. Holder of multiple records at East Carolina University, he was drafted in the second round by the Patriots in 1981 and became an instant starter.​

But while success seemed to come easily to the young man from ECU, injuries began to take their toll. Collins began taking pain killers for his neck, but found they nauseated him. A friend recommended marijuana, which seemed to relieve his discomfort. But it wasn’t enough.​

“Then the marijuana turned into cocaine, and that took away everything I loved,” he said.​

The public learned of Collins’s drug abuse almost immediately after the team lost its first Super Bowl to the Chicago Bears in 1986, when the Boston Globe carried the news that six members of the AFC Champion Patriots team had tested positive for drugs.​

Collins was banned from the league for a year after testing positive a third time for marijuana and cocaine. He was later reinstated, but a move to the Dolphins didn’t work out because of Collins’s damaged knees.​

Collins said pride and his self-image as a football star probably interfered with him getting help in fighting drug use.​

“I thought, ‘hey, I’m Tony Collins. I can handle my problems. I’ve got this,’ ” he said. “Well, I didn’t have it. It had me.”​

The former star running back said he began to master his addiction and turn his life around seven years ago, when he met his current wife. He said she had a “different way of thinking about life” that made sense to him.​

Oct 29, 2015:

Collins speaks to Toll Gate students about making right choices

Former New England Patriots running back Tony Collins spoke to Toll Gate juniors and seniors on Tuesday morning about hard work, perseverance, sound choices and learning “to love to be

warwickonline.com

His work wasn’t done yet. He entered training camp third on the depth chart behind Vagas Ferguson and Horace Ivory, but he said, in his mind, he was always the No. 1 running back.​

In the second week of training camp, Ivory got injured. Collins continued to work harder, being the first out on the field and last off of it.​

“Felt bad for Horace, felt real good for Tony,” Collins said to laughs from the audience.​

Ferguson suffered an ankle injury himself two weeks later, earning Collins the top running back spot on the team. Collins would go on to play in all 16 games, tallying 873 rushing and 232 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.​

Collins had the best year of his career in 1983. He made the Pro Bowl after rushing for 1,049 yards and 10 touchdowns while picking up 257 yards through the air as well.​

Then, in 1984, Collins had to make a difficult choice. He had suffered cracked ribs early in the season, and either had to sit down like Ivory and Ferguson before him and have his job taken away, or go on painkillers. He chose the latter, opting to receive cortisone shots before and during games as well to numb the agony.​

“When the medicine wears off, wears down, I’m in so much pain that I can’t even go to sleep, that I cannot even breathe,” Collins said. “So I have to take all these painkillers just to go to sleep. And I’m taking painkillers all through practice and all through the year, and the painkillers were tearing up my stomach.”​

As he became addicted to painkillers, he also began smoking marijuana to relieve nausea. He ended up being randomly tested by the NFL, failing two drug tests and getting cut by New England after the second infraction in 1988.​

He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts the next day and promised himself that he would stay clean after receiving a second chance. If he failed another drug test, he would have been suspended an entire season, so he stayed away from marijuana. However, he chose to attend a party four weeks into training camp and, despite not actually smoking any marijuana, the secondhand smoke around him was enough to result in a third failed drug test.​

He played one more season in 1990 for the Miami Dolphins before retiring, he said, as a “failure.”​

Jan 29, 2013:

Super Bowl nightmare was only part of Tony Collins” life of drugs

NEW ORLEANS — Tony Collins could never forget how he got his job, which is a large part of the reason he lost it . . . and nearly his life along with it.When the former Patriots Pro Bowl running back arrived in New…

www.bostonherald.com

Feb 11, 2016:

Former Patriot’s star Tony Collins talks big dreams – and bad calls – with Everett students - Dorchester Reporter

Tony Collins sat in the principal’s office of the Edward Everett Elementary School on Pleasant Street last Thursday. His hands folded, a Pro Bowl ring prominent on his right pinky, the former Patriots running back listened quietly as the principal explained why she invited him to speak to her...

www.dotnews.com

Tony Collins (2011) - ECU Athletics Hall of Fame - East Carolina University Athletics

East Carolina University Athletics

ecupirates.com

Patriots.com Audio -- 48:31 Podcast

Pats from the Past, Episode 15: Tony Collins

Former Patriots running back Tony Collins joins the next Pats from the Past podcast presented by Who but WB Mason. Learn about the Patriots player who impressed him the most when he entered the NFL. What it means to still hold the 36-year-old rushing reco

www.patriots.com

Tony Collins Career Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Get Tony Collins Career game log for regular season and playoff games on Pro-football-reference.com.

www.pro-football-reference.com

Tony Collins Pro Football Record

The trusted source for pro football information about Tony Collins. Get statistics, transactions. biographical data and more at Pro Football Archives.

www.profootballarchives.com

Tony Collins (American football) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jmt57]

Most of the other options at running back in Collins' career (Vagus Feguson early, Reggie 'Two Yards' Dupard late) made Tony Collins look like a Hall of Famer by comparison. The one time Collins had a good complimentary back - Craig James - the team made it to the super bowl.

After Collins left the Patriots he signed with Indianapolis.
He never played for the Colts though as that was the year he was suspended.

Tony only played in one game for Miami in 1990 before they released him.


Then Tony Collins, NFL star just a few years earlier, played in the Arena Football League - for three years!
He was a FB/WR/LB for the Orlando Predators (1991), Cincinnati Rockers (1992) and Miami Hooters (1993).

Tony Collins | ArenaFan.com

ArenaFan is the premier community site for fans of the Arena Football League. News, scores, standings, statistics, games and more. Anything you've ever wanted to know about the AFL.

www.arenafan.com

COLLINS GETS LAST LAUGH WITH RETURN TO FOOTBALL

Former NFL star Tony Collins had an instant and emphatic reaction when Orlando Predators coach Perry Moss called one day two months ago to ask if he had any interest in playing Arena League football: Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. “I…

www.orlandosentinel.com

Former Patriot running back Tony Collins, whose...

Former Patriot running back Tony Collins, whose NFL career was shortened by drug use, drove his car into a lake in Orlando, Fla., in what police said was a suicide attempt.

www.latimes.com

EX-PATRIOT RB DRIVES CAR INTO LAKE

Former New England Patriots running back Tony Collins, whose NFL career was shortened by drug use, drove his car into a lake in what police said was a suicide attempt. Collins, 32, was treated at a hospital and released about an hour later, police said. The car hopped a curb at 4:45 a.m...

www.deseret.com

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Make that a double Collins
The player that resulted in
the Tom Brady draft pick​

Happy 56th birthday to Todd Collins
Born May 27, 1970 in New Market, Tennessee
Patriots linebacker, 1992-1998; uniform #54 ('92-'94); #59 ('96-'98)
Pats 3rd round (64th overall) selection of the 1992 draft, from Carson-Newman
Pats résumé: six seasons, 76 games (53 starts); 354 tackles, 2 picks, 3 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries


It is easy to understand why Todd Collins is the only person from New Market to make it to the NFL. The town in northeastern Tennessee, about 24 miles from Knoxville, had a population of 1,216 - though it has grown to all of 1,416 now. Collins had earned a scholarship to Georgia, but received a medical redshirt after suffering a broken foot during practice. He transferred to Tennessee - but separated his shoulder, resulting in another season lost due to injury. After one semester in Knoxville he transferred to Division II Carson-Newman (enrollment: 2,500) in Jefferson City, which borders on his hometown of New Market. While Collins was there the Eagles won the 1989 NAIA championship.


Todd Franklin Collins played in 76 games with 53 starts over six seasons in New England. He had 92 tackles in 1993 and 99 in 1997, before taking a leave of absence for the entire 1995 season at the age of 25. Collins played in two super bowls: for the Patriots in their loss to Green Bay, and after he signed as a free agent for St Louis in 1999, in their narrow win over Tennessee.


His departure from the Patriots was inadvertently Collins' greatest contribution to the franchise, as the number of free agent losses versus free agent signings resulted in the Pats receiving a compensatory draft pick: number 199 in the 2000 draft.


And just in case anybody was wondering, this Todd Collins is not related to RB Tony Collins, nor backup QB Todd Collins from Walpole.

Clinton resident has ties to both Super Bowl teams

CLINTON, Tenn. — Clinton resident Todd Collins will be watching Sunday's Super Bowl LIII with plenty of intensity, as will millions of football fans.

www.oakridger.com

“Parcells worked us hard in that first preseason,” Collins remembered. “He wanted players who were willing to make the sacrifices in working to get better and improve the team. He didn’t want prima donnas. I got my break when the guy playing ahead of me started mouthing off to Parcells one day at practice. Parcells called me to come in to replace him and that guy was gone soon.”​

The 1996 campaign found Parcells’ rebuilding program — with Collins playing a major role in the process — come to fruition when New England won the AFC East with a 10-6 mark before defeating Pittsburgh and Jacksonville to reach the Super Bowl at New Orleans against the Green Bay Packers.​

“The Packers were a very good team and they were fired up because they had not been to a Super Bowl in almost 30 years,” said Collins of the Patriots’ 35-21 loss.​

Collins said one of the strongest memories of that game was afterwards when Parcells made it obvious to his team that he was going to retire.​

“Parcells was not one to get emotional, but he had tears in his eyes and his voice was cracking,” Collins said. “We knew he was leaving.”​

One of Parcells’ chief aides that season was current Patriots Coach Bill Belichick, who had been fired the previous season as coach of the Cleveland Browns.​

“You won’t see Bill Belichick’s name listed with that ’96 team as an assistant coach, but he was working behind the scenes with everything going on,” Collins said. “He also established a strong relationship with (Patriots owner) Robert Kraft and that was a key to Kraft hiring Belichick a few years later as coach.​

Before there was Nate McBride, there was Todd Collins

Before there was Nate McBride, there was Todd Collins

247sports.com

He was a freak of an athlete, but he also was a very early adopter of plyometrics, etc.​

Think Nate might be faster, but keep in mind this was the 80's & Todd was basically training himself w/VHS tapes.​

1998 Patriots Media Guide -- page 115
Outtakes
★ Todd was named Tennessee's "Mr. Football" as a prep AII-American in 1987, the same title won by his brother, Brent, in 1985.
★ That year, he was rated the top prep prospect in the country and earned National Defensive Player of the Year honors from USA Today.
★ Todd and his wile, Jill , were married last May in the British Virgin Islands

Career Transactions
Todd Collins was drafted by the Patriots after his junior year with their first of two selections in the third round of the 1992 NFL draft (64th player selected) . . . Signed by the Patriots (7/23/92) . . . Placed on injured reserve with a neck injury (1 0/1 6/92-1 1/1 3/92) . . . Placed on injured reserve with a knee injury (11/15/94 - for the remainder of the season) . . . Became a restricted free agent (2/1 5/95) and re-signed with the Patriots (4/20/95) . . . Did not report to training camp and was placed on a reserved-did not report list . . . Missed the entire 1995 season, but filed for reinstatement following the year . . . Returned for the 1996 season . . . Became an unrestricted free
agent after the 1996 season and re-signed with the Patriots ( 4/4/97)

Career Highlights (GP/GS: 64/43; 5/5)
• Started 17 games for the Patriots in 1 997, including both playoff games. His previous single season high was 12 starts in 1993.
• Recorded a career-high 99 tackles (64 solos) , including 1½ sacks.
• Intercepted a Dan Marino pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown in the Patriots' wild-card game victory over the Dolphins (12/28/97).
• Began his career lined up inside in the Patriots' 3-4 defensive alignment along with former Patriot Vincent Brown. Moved to outside linebacker upon his return in 1996.
• He emerged as a starter in 1993 and finished the season with 92 tackles, including a sack and an interception.
• Started the first seven games of the 1994 season prior to suffering a season-ending knee injury. Rehabilitated the injury in New England during the offseason, but elected to sit out 1995 season. Returned to the Patriots in 1996.

College:
As a senior, he recorded 119 tackles (66 solos), six sacks and 11 stops behind the line of scrimmage . . . Returned two interceptions for touchdowns and was credited with 16 quarterback pressures . . . Chosen Small College Underclassman of the Year in 1990 despite missing two games with a knee injury . . . Finished season with 65 tackles (19 solos), a fumble recovery and a pass deflection . . . Played in only five games after suffering a foot injury in the second game of the season as a sophomore . . . ln 1989, he notched 12 tackles (five solos), two sacks and a pass deflection ... Enrolled at Georgia in 1988 but received a medical redshirt after breaking foot in fall drills . . . Transferred to Tennessee but suffered a separated shoulder . . . Left the Volunteers that fall and enrolled at Carson-Newman.

Personal:
Todd Franklin Collins was born on May 27, 1970 in New Market, Tenn. . . . He was one of the most decorated athletes in the history of Jefferson County High in New Market, Tenn. . . . Earned USA Today, SuperPrep and Parade Magazine first-team All-American acclaim as a senior . . . Majored in psychology at Carson-Newman . . . Todd and his wife, Jill, were married in May of 1998.

Todd Collins Career Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Get Todd Collins Career game log for regular season and playoff games on Pro-football-reference.com.

www.pro-football-reference.com

Todd Collins Pro Football Record

The trusted source for pro football information about Todd Collins. Get statistics, transactions. biographical data and more at Pro Football Archives.

profootballarchives.com

Todd Collins (linebacker) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Memorial Day Tragedy:
RIP Marquise Hill​

On the evening of May 27, 2007, Marquise Hill and his friend, Ashley Blazio, fell off a jet ski in Lake Pontchartrain, north of New Orleans. Neither of them wore personal flotation or tracking devices. Hill ended up saving her life, keeping her calm until she could grab onto a buoy. Blazio was rescued and sent to Tulane Medical Center. Coast Guard units searched the area. Hill's body was found by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries the following day, around 2:20 PM CDT on May 28.


The 24-year old defensive end was a second round pick by the Patriots of the 2004 draft, from Louisiana State University.

Death of Patriots' Hill is ruled accidental drowning

The death of New England Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill, who fell off a personal watercraft Sunday in Lake Pontchartrain, was ruled an accidental drowning Tuesday.

www.espn.com

Hill spent much of his free time and his NFL paycheck helping loved ones rebuild in the hurricane-damaged city where he grew up.​

Aiding others came naturally to him, and distraught relatives on Monday said Hill died a hero after the former LSU star helped save the life of a former high school classmate who could not swim.​

While the woman survived by grabbing a piling and holding onto it until she was rescued, the 24-year-old Hill, who friends described as a good swimmer, drifted away and disappeared until searchers pulled his body from the water on Monday afternoon, about 17 hours after the accident.​

"He was a hero until the end," his cousin, Elaine Hill Blackshire of Alabama, told the Boston Herald for Tuesday's editions. "He made sure he got her to safety. I'm just so sad that he lost his life, but he wouldn't have had it any other way. If he had saved himself, and knowing she couldn't swim, he couldn't have lived with himself.​

"He thought of others first. He was just that kind of person."​

"I lost a brother, man," said Patriots defensive lineman Jarvis Green, a fellow Louisiana native and former LSU player. "He was a funny guy. ... He'd just sit there and talk to you, say some funny things off his head that'd make you laugh. He was good to be around."​

Hill's agent, Albert Elias, said he spoke with Hill's friend and said she either couldn't swim or was having difficulty doing so.​

"Marquise knew this, and being a strong swimmer, he was instructing her as he drifted away in a different direction to stay calm and don't fight the water. He found a buoy or piling behind her and told her to let the current take her to that. She listened to him and it pretty much saved her life," Elias said.​

The woman was sent to Tulane Medical Center, where she told authorities that Hill had tried to keep her calm as the two were drifting away from each other.​

"It's so important to have a life jacket and a signaling device," Atkeson said. "One keeps you afloat and the other helps us find you."​

Elias said the player spent much of his time since Hurricane Katrina helping rebuild the homes of family members including his mother and the mother of his son.​

The Patriots wore number 91 on their helmet in memory of Hill for the full 2007 season.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Starting center traded away
for local gridiron hero
who never plays for the Patriots​

May 27, 1964:
This trade is a bit convoluted, so bear with me.

The 1964 American Football League draft took place on November 30, 1963. The early date was not unusual then; the upstart AFL wanted to get a jump on the old school NFL in order to sign players for their new league.


Denver had the first pick of the draft, and the Patriots held the fourth. The Pats traded their first and third round picks, plus 'future considerations' in order to move up three spots to the number one pick. Billy Sullivan coveted a good catholic Irish Dorchester lad and local phenom quarterback from Matignon High School and Boston College, Jack Concannon. With that trade Sullivan got the guy he was sure would pack the stands, drafting Concannon with the first overall pick.


Sullivan surely felt the well known name local hero would be a big ticket draw. Babe Parilli had just been named to the 1963 AFL All-Star Team, but he would turn 34 before the next training camp opened. Concannon was a thrilling double threat as a passer and runner at BC. Sullivan viewed him as a worthy successor to Parilli, and future face of the franchise. Even Cardinal Cushing got involved, urging Concannon to stay home and sign with the Patriots.


The Philadelphia Eagles also drafted Concannon, in the second round of the NFL draft. That occurred only after their team officials discovered at the last minute that the Pats had not yet signed Concannon. Sullivan operated the Patriots on a shoestring budget. As badly as he wanted Concannon, he did not have deep enough pockets to compete in a bidding war with an NFL team. Concannon signed for a $25,000 bonus, a new Thunderbird and a $50,000 salary with the Eagles – big money at that time – and as a result the Patriots had nothing to show for from two of their first three rounds of the draft. Sullivan never considered that Concannon would opt for the NFL over staying home to play for the Patriots, but that is exactly what Jack did.

Seven months later it was time to pay the bill. Walt Cudkik had manned the center position for every game in the first five years of the Boston Patriots existence. He was sent to Denver as compensation for the Patriots trading up, but never played for the Broncos. Denver immediately traded him to Buffalo for LB Marvin Matusazk, and a S Billy Atkins.

While he received a bigger payday, the decision did not help Concannon's pro football career. The Eagles had Norm Snead entrenched as their starter and King Hill as the backup QB. Concannon barely ever saw the playing field as the third stringer.


In 1967 Philadelphia traded Concannon and a fourth round draft pick to the Chicago for TE Mike Ditka. The Bears had a great running back (Gale Sayers), but no QB, so it made sense to them at the time. Jack was so-so on a mediocre team and eventually lost his job as a starter when the Bears bottomed out with a 1-13 record in 1969. Ditka was a five-time Pro Bowler for the Bears, but was not the same player he was early in his career. Instead of a win-win the trade was more of a meh-meh.


Jack Concannon did play in the NFL for ten years though. His best season was in 1970, regaining his starting job and throwing for 16 touchdowns and 2,130 yards. Cudzik spent one season with Buffalo before retiring at the age of 33.

Cudzik of Patriots Traded To Broncos, Then to Bills (Published 1964)

www.nytimes.com

For more on Jack Concannon, check out these articles:

Football Letterman Jack Concannon Dies - Boston College Athletics

Nov. 29, 2005 John J. "Jack" Concannon, Jr., a Boston College football standout in the early 1960s and retired National Football League quarterback, died sud...

bceagles.com

Jack Concannon 1943-2005

Jack Concannon, whom the Bears obtained in a 1967 trade for Mike Ditka, is remembered by former teammates as the fun-loving but frustrated quarterback who embodied the struggles of the last team George Halas coached and the four years of…

www.chicagotribune.com

Walter Cudzik Obituary (2005) - Mobile, AL - AL.com (Mobile)

View Walter Jacob "Walt" Cudzik's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

obits.al.com

Today in Patriots History: Jack Concannon | PatsFans.com

Jack Concannon highlights today in Patriots history. The Boston native was the Pats first selection in the 1964 AFL draft.

www.patsfans.com

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
The Swinging Seventies​

May 27, 1970:
The Patriots sign two free agents who did not make a regular season NFL roster: George Little and Pete Schmidt.

Assistant Head Coach Pete Schmidt Succumbs to Cancer - Indiana University Athletics

September 29, 2000 Pete Schmidt, a former Division III National Coach of the Year, Dies in Bloomington Hospital Bloomington, Ind. -- Indiana assistant head c...

iuhoosiers.com

May 27, 1972:
Patriots sign G Steve Beyrle, an 8th round draft pick from Kansas State, and undrafted rookie free agent LB Henry Adolfi from Amherst.

Beyrle did not make the Pats roster in either '72 or '73, and he then played briefly in the CFL for the BC Lions. The 1972 Pats media guide said this of Adolfi: "Three year veteran at Amherst College . . . also filled in as center . . . good speed and mobility with excellent quickness . . . had six interceptions and five blocked punts to his credit.





May 27, 1979:
New England signs rookie free agent Rich Rodenberger and veteran free agent WR Larry Dorsey

Richard Rodenberger Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

The Mann-Slonaker Funeral Home is committed to your family's total care. Please stop by, or call us at the funeral home to have any questions answered regarding planning a funeral service in advance, funeral ceremonies in general, or to see a friendly face.

www.mannslonakerfuneralhome.com

Richard Lee “Rody” Rodenberger, 70, of East Greenville, passed away on Saturday, April 6, 2024. Born in Bucks County, he was the son of the late Richard W. and Nancy (Schantz) Rodenberger.​

Rody was a 1971 graduate of Upper Perkiomen High School and then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from East Stroudsburg University in 1977. He also excelled in football at East Stroudsburg, setting a record for most interceptions from a safety. His athleticism, earned him a short stint with the New England Patriots in the 1970’s.​

He worked construction at many different locations operating an excavator. An avid outdoorsman, he loved to hunt, fish and cut firewood.​

Larry Dorsey had 27 receptions in three seasons for the Chargers and Chiefs before coming to New England. He was the head coach at Mississippi Valley state from 1990-1998, at Prarie View A&M from 2000-2002, and at Greenville-Weston Mississippi High School from 2008-2010.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
The Eighties​

May 27, 1980:
Patriots sign former North Carolina State kicker Jay Sherrill, Mark Loftus, a running back who played semi-pro football in upstate New York, and Mike Hanna, a player I couldn't find anything about thanks to a punter by the same name.

Semipro football: Former Red and Black players Britton, Loftus to enter AFA Hall of Fame

May 11—A crucial component of the 1980 Empire Football League champion Watertown Red and Black team and a consistent member of the R&B's defense during the 1970s have been selected as part of the American Football Association's Minor League Football Hall of Fame induction class for 2022. Mark...

sports.yahoo.com

May 27, 1982:
First year head coach Ron Meyer makes some changes, cutting eight players: Frank Rocco, Garry Puetz, John Vella, Peter Corrigan, Robert Intemann, Tom St. Jacques, Vince Coby and Edwin Rakus.

Puetz was the one surprise from this group to be let go. The offensive lineman had only missed one game since being acquired in 1979, and had played in 117 NFL games with 74 starts over the previous ten seasons.

Garry Puetz (1998) - Hall of Fame - Valparaiso University

Garry Puetz, Class: 1972 Induction: 1998 Sport(s): Football, Baseball - Following a star-studded collegiate career at VU, Garry Puetz played 10 season in the NFL

valpoathletics.com

Coby Had an Unforgettable Month Before He Encountered a Forgettable Play

Former University of Washington running back showed His greatness, but it didn't last long enough.

www.si.com

Vince Coby had NFL written all over him.​

A third-stringer and a junior from Tacoma, he took over as the Huskies' top tailback when the players ahead of him, Joe Steele and Kyle Stevens, went down on consecutive Saturdays in 1979 with knee injuries. He made the most of his opportunity.​

Coby came off the bench at California and provided 97 yards and 3 touchdowns. He made his first career start against USC and ran for 103 yards, dazzling the Husky Stadium crowd with a 52-yard run. He churned out 112 yards and a score against Washington State in the Apple Cup. He was the starter against Texas in the Sun Bowl. In his abbreviated stint, he finished with 422 yards and 6 TDs rushing.​

"I could go 50 at any time," he said. "I just didn't get a chance to show that to the world."​

At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, he was a good-sized runner. A third-place state finisher in the 100-meter dash as a high school sprinter, he could get out and go.​

He was competitive and impatient, too. As a sophomore, he met with coach Don James to discuss limited playing time, warned beforehand to not to use the word "I" during their conversation, rather "we." Coby slipped up and his short-statured but highly imposing coach let him know it.​

"By the time he was finished with me, he was 7-foot-1 and I was 3 years old," he said.​

Forty years ago, Coby entered spring football as the Huskies' No. 1 running back. He felt confident, in total control with the ball in his hands, that pro football wasn't far off.​

Yet similar to Steele and Stevens before him, Coby was not immune to football's unforgiving side. In a Tuesday practice in 1980, his world changed as a running back.​

On a pitch play called 28 sweep, he was running behind a wall of blockers when he took a hit from Huskies defensive back Ken Gardner that destroyed his left knee and required immediate surgery.​

"I didn't see Kenny coming and the next thing I knew I was lying on the carpet," Coby said. "I didn't think I could get hurt because the game had slowed down so much for me."​

He sat out the following season in recovery, missing a Washington-Michigan Rose Bowl. He came back in 1981 as one of four co-captains and became the starting fullback and mostly a blocker for another Pasadena trip. All along, he struggled with that knee.​

"My senior year was a not a fun year for me," Coby said. "My knee swelled up every week. I'd have it drained every Thursday or Friday. I'd feel good for a half and it would blow back up."​

In the 1982 Rose Bowl against Iowa, where a little-known UW freshman named Jacque Robinson ran for 142 yards and two scores in a 28-0 victory, Coby received a final football reward.​

With the Huskies ahead 7-0 and halftime approaching, he scored on a 1-yard run with 19 seconds left to provide his team with a cushion. It felt good to reach the end zone on a big platform.​

"It was one of those triumphant moments for me with all that I'd overcome," he said.​

Coby gave pro football a shot with the New England Patriots, but he was waived in training camp. He worked for Marriott in sales and for Boeing as a supply chain analyst, and he retired last year from the aerospace company.​

Like so many others in his position, he can't help but wonder what might have been for him as a pro football player had he stayed healthy.​

"Life changes on a dime and you have to adapt," Coby said. "You don't see it coming. I wanted that dream career."​

May 27, 1987:
The Patriots sign Joe Peterson, a safety from Nevada.

Peterson was one of the dozens of football players who were cut, then re-signed when the NFLPA went on strike, appearing in all three "replacement players" games from October 4 to October 18 in 1987.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
The Nineties​

May 27, 1994:
Fifth round draft pick Pat O'Neill signs his rookie contract.

Th punter from Syracuse played in 24 games over 1½ seasons in Foxborough. O'Neill averaged 41.2 yards on 69 punts, with 25 inside the twenty as a rookie, but tailed off in 1995: 36.9 yards gross, 31.2 net on 41 punts in the first eight games. Bill Parcells replaced O'Neill with Bryan Wagner for the rest of '95, then Tom Tupa in 1996.

Compassion | Patrick J. O'Neill, MD

NFL punter becomes a surgeon | Sarasota Herald

A greater love than the NFL

He found that he wasn't in love with football

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The trick play sparked the Patriots to their fourth straight win after a miserable start. They kept it up through their last game, tying Miami’s record at 10-6 and winning a wild-card playoff berth.​

The Patriots drew the Cleveland Browns in the first round, and O’Neill pulled off another trick play, throwing a pass for a first down. Percentage-wise, he had a better day than quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who threw three interceptions in a 20-13 loss.​

That first year he averaged 41 yards per punt, good for playing half his games at open, wind-swept Foxboro. It placed him 10th in the 14-team league, but less than a yard off the average punter. He also hit the fourth-longest punt of any kicker that year.​

The numbers, though, masked a challenging season. Punting looks simple on television, but November brings cold and trials invisible to the cameras.​

“The ball’s a piece of stone, the wind blows, you have no footing because the grass won’t grow and the field doesn’t absorb moisture,” he said.​

In the end, despite the highlight-reel moments, despite the trip to the playoffs, it was disappointing.​

“There were games where I was as good as anyone I’d seen. Then there were games I didn’t do well,” he said recently, at the end of a day of seeing patients. “At some point, I said, ‘I like this, but is it worth it?’”​

So that off-season, while his teammates rested, he tackled something in some ways more arduous than training camp: He took the MCAT, the medical school admission test.​

Dr. Patrick J. O’Neill | Patrick J. O’Neill, MD

Dr. Patrick J. O'Neill | Patrick J. O'Neill, MD

Patrick J. O'Neill, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland and was fellowship trained in Foot and Ankle at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

www.sarasotafootandankle.com

Dr. O’Neill is highly trained in the latest non-surgical and surgical treatments for a wide range of disorders of the foot and ankle. He treats sports-related injuries, tendon disorders, foot and ankle trauma, diabetes, nerve disorders, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, heel pain, bunions, hammer toes, and amputations. Any area of the foot and ankle may be involved, including the forefoot, midfoot, hindfoot, or ankle. Patients may have either simple common problems, or more complex problems which could require complicated reconstructive procedures.​

While at Syracuse University, Dr. O’Neill excelled both on and off the playing field. Some of his academic accomplishments include Academic All-American and University Scholar, Syracuse’s highest honor. Dr. O’Neill was also a member of the Syracuse Orangemen football team as a Punter and Kicker, and was ultimately named to the All-20th Century Football Team. Upon leaving Syracuse, Dr. O’Neill was drafted in the 5th round of the NFL draft by the New England Patriots, and in his first year he was named the NFL All-rookie Punter.​

May 27, 1994:
Art Spinney passes away at the age of 66

Spinney was the Boston Patriots offensive line coach from 1962 to 1968. Born in Saugus, he was an end at Boston College, then played guard for the Baltimore Colts, where he was an All Pro and NFL champion. While there he played with Don Shula, who offered him a job coaching with the 1970 Miami Dolphins, but he turned it down to remain in the area and 'get a real job'.

Art worked for the American Biltrite Rubber Company in Cambridge as a consultant to its Sports Surfaces Division. In 1972 he and another employee were awarded a patent for Biltrite's Poly-Turf, a composite surface for football or soccer fields using additional layers of shock dissipating and shock-absorbing material. Later he worked in public relations for the Massachusetts Port Authority and then the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

Art Spinney (1972) - Varsity Club Hall of Fame - Boston College Athletics

Boston College Athletics

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