Today In Patriots History August 7: Marquise Hill

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Marquise Hill​

For the second time in three days we have a former Patriot that died too young.

In memory of Marquise Hill, who would have been 42 today.
Born August 7, 1982 in New Orleans
Died May 28, 2007 at the age of 24 in Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana
Patriot DE, 2004-2006; uniform #91
Pats 2nd round (63rd overall) selection of the 2004 draft, from LSU

Marquise Hill Bio | LSU Sports

Marquise Hill

lsusports.net

June 14, 2004:

Marquise Hill Player Journal

Aug 16, 2004:

Rookie Spotlight: DE Marquise Hill

Patriots.com: If you weren't playing football what would you be doing?​

Hill: Mortician. My grandmother did it off and on and it was my major in college.​

Patriots.com: Cedric Cobbs says you're the biggest talker on the team. Do you have a rebuttal to that?​

Hill: Uh…. Yeah I probably am. I'm the "Mouth of the South" so I talk a lot.​

Patriots.com: Do you have a favorite Mardi Gras experiences that you can tell us?​

Hill: When they start filming "Girls Gone Wild" down there. It was crazy man. That's Sin City. It was ridiculous.​

April 24, 2004:

Marquise Hill Conf. Call Transcript - 4/24

Q: Because of Coach Saban's close relationship with Coach Belichick, did you have a strong idea that maybe the Patriots would take you?​

MH: Not really, but I'm pretty familiar with their system so it was one of the safer moves they could make. I didn't really think about it. I was just twiddling my thumbs, waiting to get picked.​

June 22, 2004:

Ask PFW: offseason hot stove

Q: I thought I would ask this question since Patriots radio was shortened last week. I wanted to know what you thought Jarvis Green's role would be this year after showing some promise at the end this past year. I also wanted to know what you thought Marquise Hill's role would be this year. Finally, can you give all the readers a first impression you got from mini camp on this years rookies and the players that we didn't see much last year.​

PFW: Jarvis Green will continue to see his play time increase. He played about half the snaps last year. He will likely be a regular in sub-packages as an interior pass rusher and then will rotate in on the end in the base 3-4. I have no idea what Hill will do. It's impossible to judge linemen during mini-camp when there are no pads on. Just watching him in some drills, I didn't think he looked very quick. I thought Guss Scott looked decent playing alongside Rodney Harrison with Eugene Wilson out of action. Benjamin Watson and Cedric Cobbs were slowed by injury. I think P.K. Sam made a positive impression. Christian Morton is fast, but I'd say he faces an uphill battle to make the club. I think Tully Banta-Cain is the player with the potential to make the biggest jump forward from last year to this.​

Nov 15, 2004:

Ask PFW: Offseason concern

Q: Has Marquise Hill played at all this year?​

PFW: Hill dressed for the opener against Indy but did not play. He's been one of the inactives in every game since.​

Dec 14, 2004:

Ask PFW: Pats headed to playoffs

Q: Do the Patriots ever play a 4 3 defense? Why did the Patriots sign Marquise Hill with a 2nd round pick? Was he just an insurance policy on Ty Warren or do you think the Pats have plans to move him to LB?​

PFW: The Pats play some 4-3 defense in just about every game. They are a multiple front team who mixes and matches personnel. Their base D is a 3-4, but they certainly line up with four linemen at times as well. Hill is a guy they drafted on potential, apparently. I find it strange that a second round pick hasn't even smelled the field, but they drafted him with next year in mind and by all accounts, he came out too early. Belichick certainly had enough info on him since he played for Nick Saban at LSU, but I have to question spending a 2 on a guy with no chance to contribute as a rookie even if he is a defensive lineman. I've heard that he would have been a top 15 pick this year if he stayed in school so take that for what it's worth. P.K. Sam came out too early, but didn't get picked until the 5th round. Perhaps they view Hill as a 2005 first round pick and if they are right I will say I was wrong. But I want my second round picks on the field as rookies. He will never play linebacker. He's a freakin' giant.​

Sept 25, 2005:

Clayton: Familiar script

The Patriots notched another win -- and added to their mystique -- by overcoming a spat of injuries to knock off the Steelers.

www.espn.com

The Patriots are scrambling. They entered the game minus injured cornerbacks Randall Gay and Tyrone Poole, who didn't make the trip. Cornerback Duane Starks went down with a sore shoulder on the first play of the game, but he was able to return. Then, bad things started to happen. Strong safety Rodney Harrison suffered what is believed to be a torn ACL midway through the first quarter. Left tackle Matt Light suffered either a fracture near an ankle or an Achilles injury in the second quarter.​

Naturally, the Patriots weren't saying how bad the injuries were but they were bad. Defensive end Marquise Hill sustained an injury that forced him to leave the locker room on crutches with a foot in a boot. Yet, instead of panicking, the Patriots generally seem to become more focused when facing such adversity.​

Feb 10, 2006:

2005 Review: Defensive Ends

Marquise Hill – Hill has been one of the most disappointing draft picks of the Bill Belichick/Scott Pioli era. A second round selection in 2004, Hill has done next to nothing in his two years with the Patriots. He was considered raw coming into the league but Hill hasn't shown the progression the team was hoping to see from him. In only eight games this season, he registered nine tackles and was inactive more than he was on the field. That's not a good sign for Hill. He really needs to step up his game in training camp this year if he expects to be on the roster in 2006. If the Patriots sign a veteran defensive end in free agency or select a young end in the draft, Hill's chances of being in New England next season will become even more remote.​

May 28, 2007:

Former Tiger Marquise Hill Found Dead After Accident

lsusports.net

May 30, 2007:

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

May 31, 2007:

Patriots players cope with Hill's passing

June 5, 2007:

Home of Hill's relative robbed on funeral day

The 24-year-old Hill is survived by his mother, Sherry Hill, his fiancee Inell Benn, and his 2-year-old son Mashy.​

Most of his Patriots teammates attended his wake last Friday night. Several stayed for his funeral the following day at a church in the city's Uptown neighborhood.​

Hill helped relatives rebuild in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. He was home for Memorial Day weekend when he and a woman friend went for a ride on a personal watercraft without life vests, and they fell into the water.​

The woman survived, but Hill drowned in an area of swirling currents. The Orleans Parish coroner said Hill may have had a concussion that left him disoriented.​

Oct 12, 2007:

Gone But Not Forgotten

"He just wanted to make you laugh all the time," Patriots cornerback Randall Gay said about fallen friend and teammate Marquise Hill. "That was his goal in life, to make friends and to lift your spirits up if you were having a down day. Now that Marquise is not here, it's tough to find somebody because you don't have that anymore. There's nobody else in this locker room really that could ever replace that personality that he had."​

 

[Free_Pacman]

When I was a kid, we went to a game in Buffalo. We stayed at the same hotel as the Patriots.

Marquise Hill was the only autograph I got. My friends were in the elevator with Tom Brady, but he wouldn’t give them the time of day lol.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
August 7th Birthday Trivia​

In memory of Ray Hill, who would have been 49 today
Born August 7, 1975 in Detroit
Died August 16, 2015 at the age of 39 in Plano, Texas
Patriot CB/S, 2001; uniform #38
Claimed off waivers from Buffalo on June 13, 2001


June 13, 2001:

Patriots claim Hill off waivers

The New England Patriots were awarded their claim on cornerback Ray Hill off waivers from the Buffalo Bills Wednesday.​

Hill, 26, was originally signed by the Buffalo Bills as a non-drafted rookie free agent from Michigan State in 1998. The 6-0, 192-pound cornerback played in four games for the Bills as a rookie before being waived. A three-year veteran, Hill was claimed off waivers by Miami and saw action in two regular season and two postseason games with the Dolphins.​

Hill played in all 16 games for the Dolphins in 1999 and finished with 14 special teams tackles. He was also credited with one defensive tackle, one pass defensed and one forced fumble. The Dolphins gave him a special teams game ball after he had five special teams tackles in a game against the Patriots in Week Six in 1999.​

Miami waived Hill in October last season after he recorded seven special teams tackles in three games. He was re-signed by Buffalo as a free agent on Nov. 22, 2000, where he spent the remainder of the 2000 season.​

The addition of Hill gives New England nine cornerbacks on its roster. Ty Law, Terrance Shaw and Otis Smith have significant starting experience. Hill, Kato Serwanga and Antwan Harris have limited experience. The other three are draft picks Brock Williams and Leonard Myers, and second-year player Sean Morey, who is converting from wide receiver. Williams suffered a knee injury during passing camp and may be lost for the entire season.​

Ray Hill was a three-year starter (1995–1997) for Michigan State under head coach Nick Saban. Hill finished his Spartan career with 115 solo tackles, six interceptions, and four forced fumbles. A second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection in 1997, Hill recorded 68 tackles (two for losses, including a sack), intercepted four passes, and led the team in fumbles caused with three. Hill set a Spartan single-season record for most passes broken up in a season with 16.

Hill suffered a knee injury during a preseason game against Carolina, spent all of 2001 on IR, and was unable to play in the NFL after that. He finished his NFL career with 30 games played, all with Miami and Buffalo, with 21 tackles. In 2015 he became another former Patriots that died far too young - one day shy of his 40th birthday - due to complications from colon cancer. His brother Renaldo Hill was also a defensive back; he played in 141 games for Arizona, Oakland, Miami and Denver, from 2001 to 2010.

Raymond Millous “Ray” Hill (1975-2015) - Find a...

Professional Football Player. Hill played in the National Football League from 1998 to 2001 with the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and the New England Patriots. He was three-year starter at Michigan State where he finished with 115 solo tackles, six interceptions, and four forced fumbles...

www.findagrave.com

Former MSU cornerback Ray Hill passes away at 39

Ray Hill was a standout cornerback at MSU for Nick Saban and position coach Mark Dantonio

www.freep.com

Renaldo Hill coaches with brother's memory in heart

Former NFL player Renaldo Hill is making his way as a coach at PItt after his brother, Ray, died from cancer in August.

www.lansingstatejournal.com

Other pro football players born on this date with New England connections:

- Travis Homer, 26 (8/7/98)
Draft pick trade
September 2, 2017: Traded by the Pats as their 2019 6th round pick (204th overall) to Detroit for CB/ST Johnson Bademosi.

Travis Homer is a RB from Miami who has played in 68 games for Seattle and Chicago, more on special teams (974 snaps) than on offense (574 snaps). He is currently on the Chicago Bears roster.

Bademosi only played one season in New England. In 2017 he played in all 16 games (3 starts), with 284 (63%) special team snaps and 214 (20%) defensive snaps, and 29 tackles. Bademosi signed with Houston as a free agent the following offseason. From 2012 to 2019 he played in 120 games with six NFL teams, totaling 745 defensive snaps and 2,350 special team snaps. Bademosi's last appearance on an NFL roster was in 2020, when he spent the season on IR with the Saints.


- Roy Lopez, 27 (8/7/97)
Draft pick trade
March 17, 2021: Traded by the Pats as their 2021 6th round pick (195th overall), with a 2021 5th round pick (158th overall) and Marcus Cannon to Houston for the Texans 2021 4th round pick (122nd overall subsequently traded) and their 2021 6th round pick (188th overall, Joshuah Bledsoe)

Roy Lopez is a defensive tackle who has played in 47 games (34 starts) with 109 tackles for Houston and Arizona. He has been a regular part of the defensive line rotation, averaging 485 snaps on defense.
September 2, 2017: Traded by the Pats as their 2019 6th round pick (204th overall) to Detroit for CB/ST Johnson Bademosi.


- Clarence Williams III, 55 (8/7/69)
Draft pick trade
January 27, 1992: Traded by the Pats as a 1993 conditional pick (7th round, 169th overall) along with a 1992 fifth round pick (Greg Briggs) to Atlanta for Reggie Redding

Williams was a TE/FB who played in seven NFL games, all for the Browns in 1993. Briggs was a backup safety who played in 49 games for the Cowboys, Bears and Vikings from 1995-98. Redding started 14 games at left guard for the Patriots in 1992, but got shown the door when Bill Parcells took over the following year.


- Jerry Marion, 80 (8/7/44)
Pats 11th round (92nd overall) selection of the 1966 AFL 'Redshirt' draft, from Wyoming
Jerry Richard Louis Marion was a wide receiver at the University of Wyoming, via Bakersfield, California. He instead signed with the Steelers, where he played one season. His son Brock Marion was a 3-time Pro Bowl safety and 2-time super bowl champion with the Cowboys and Dolphins, playing in 182 games from 1993 to 2004 - therefore giving him bragging rights over dad at any family gatherings.


- Jerry Rush, 82 (8/7/42)
Pats 1st round (7th overall) selection of the 1965 AFL draft, from Michigan State
The defensive tackle was also drafted 25th overall in the second round of the NFL draft by the Lions. Rush stayed close to his hometown of Pontiac and played in 90 games with 65 starts for Detroit from 1965 to 1971.


- Bill Thomas, 75 (8/7/49)
Boston College, class of '72
Bill was the 26th overall pick of the 1972 draft by Dallas. The running back and kick returner who never fully recovered from a college shoulder injury, playing in 27 games over three seasons for the Cowboys, Oilers and Chiefs.

The Heights, Volume LI, Number 3, 29 September 1970 -- Boston College Libraries


- Ken Steinmetz (8/7/24-10/13/95)
Born in Providence; Aldrich High School (Warwick Rhode Island), class of '43
Ken was only twenty years old when he began playing pro football as a wingback for the Boston Yanks in 1944.

Kenneth Steinmetz in the 1940 US Federal Census




Some of the other pro football players born on August 7 include:

- Alan Page, 79 (8/7/45)
Hall of Fame Vikings DT was named to nine Pro Bowls and six All-Pro teams. He was the first defensive player in NFL history to win the MVP Award, and served as an associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1993 until he reached the court's mandatory retirement age of 70 in 2015. Page was also an NFLPA player rep from 1970 to 1974 and 1976–1977, and a member of the NFLPA Executive Committee from 1972 to 1975.

- John Gilliam, 79 (8/7/45)
One of the NFL's premier receivers in the early seventies, Patcheye went to four consecutive Pro Bowls and averaged 18.5 yards per catch over 11 seasons.

- Chuck Drazenovich (1927-1992)
The linebacker/fullback played for Washington from 1950 to 1959, and also went to four straight Pro Bowls.

30. Chuck Drazenovich

An alumni of Penn State, Chuck Drazenovich, played his entire pro career with the Washington Redskins (1950-59). Drazenovich played on both sides in the first half of his career, where the Linebacker would also go in at Fullback, rushing for a total of 330 Yards. In the second half of hi...

www.notinhalloffame.com

- Shane Lechler, 48 (8/7/76)
The Oakland Raiders punter played in 286 games, and went to seven pro bowls during his 18-year career.

- Beanie Wells, 36 (8/7/88)
The running back wanted out of Arizona and was looking forward to a nice payday once he was able to hit free agency, but instead knee injuries and then an Achilles tear ended the career of the former first round draft pick at the age of 24.

- Jess Rodriguez (8/7/01-10/12/83)
The tailback and his younger brother were the first of just three players in NFL history that were born in Spain.

- Lenny Sachs (8/7/97-10/27/42)
The only player in NFL history that came from Chicago's American College of Physical Education. I would have thought a school like that would be a powerhouse in sports.

- Samuel 'Smoke' Salemi (8/7/03-10/29/07)
The wingback from the twenties is included on this list simply because I like the name.

 

[Mike the Brit]

I still remember Marquise Hill. May he rest in peace.