Bill Lenkaitis passed away...

[oldrover]

Long-time Patriots center Bill Lenkaitis passed away

Anchored the great Pats o-line of the 70's at center... and also was the team dentist. To me, he WAS Pat Patriot.

Thanks, Bill, for some great memories. Prayers for your loved ones. And may the Lord rest and keep your immortal soul.

 

[anditsgood]

RIP

 

[patsfan13]

Way too young to pass away. Condolences to the family.

Bill was an integral part of arguable the best run blocking line in NFL history.

 

[Clonamery]

RIP

 

[Joker]

geez....sad day for me and the Lenkaitis family

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

I used to tip a few at the Pub 67 in the Hanover Mall. Dr. Bill will be missed.

 

[zoostation]

Way too young to pass away. Condolences to the family.

Bill was an integral part of arguable the best run blocking line in NFL history.

Bill Lenkaitis
Shelby Jordan
Leon Gray
Sam Adams
John Hannah
Pete Brock


No argument here. I can't imagine the damage TB12 would have done playing behind this line in the 70's.

 

[patman52]

I know the player/fan relationship s was different then, but I just remember him as being approachble at camp. I think he was also the team dentist for a while in the 80s.

 

[old 55]

Too young. RIP Bill

 

[jefmblrd]

So sorry to hear this news. He always struck me as a class act.

 

[scott99]

Brings back lots of memories from those mid 1970s Pat's teams I loved so much. Became a fan in 1975. My thoughts are with his family and friends.

 

[jmt57]

Interesting (to me at least), I did not realize (or forgot with the passage of time) that Lenkaitis played for San Diego for three years prior to becoming a Patriot. The Chargers drafted him as a guard in the second round but the Pats got him for nothing, picking him up off waivers; I was under the impression that the Patriots drafted him.

As a team captain at Penn State, you know Bill Belichick would have coveted him had their eras intersected. Once he replaced Jon Morris at center, he started all but three games for eight consecutive years. From 1964-86 center was never a concern for the Pats, with Morris, Lenkaitis and then Pete Brock.

Besides the 1976/1978 teams mentioned above, that Patriot All-Decade Team of the 1970's wasn't too shabby.

LT Leon Gray
LG John Hannah
C Bill Lenkaitis
RG Sam Adams
RT Tom Neville
TE Russ Francis
WR Stanley Morgan
WR Randy Vataha
QB Steve Grogan
RB Sam Cunningham
RB Andy Johnson

LDE Tony McGee
NT Ray Hamilton
RDE Julius Adams
LOLB Steve Zabel
ILB Steve Nelson
ILB Sam Hunt
ROLB Steve King
CB Raymond Clayborn
CB Mike Haynes
FS Tim Fox
SS Prentice McCray

K John Smith
P Mike Patrick
Ret Mack Herron
ST Mosi Tatupu
HC Chuck Fairbanks

Anniversary Team

Former Patriots offensive lineman and team dentist Bill Lenkaitis passed away at 70

RIP Dr. Bill.

 

[Bertil]

I used to see him all the time at Golds Gym in Canton. Nice guy...at least from what little I knew.

Condolences to his family.

 

[Nikolai]

RIP

I actually considered a Lenkaitis jersey back in the day. I never got to watch him play, but my father would talk about him and that O-Line.

 

[DaBronxPats14]

R I P

 

[tom444]

As Frank Gifford used to say, look out, this team will run all over you.

 

[Gwedd]

As Frank Gifford used to say, look out, this team will run all over you.

Yes it could. And would. And did. I got to meet John Hannah a couple years after he retired. A nice guy, and approachable, but man, if you looked closely, you could see the damage that the years on the O-line had done to him. Every move was deliberate and slow.

God bless them all. They were my heroes then and still are, even after all those intervening years.

 

[DarrylS]

Remember him well, he was a "little ego" guy on these teams of big egos..

Would have done well with the "do your job" mantra of today..

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Assistant coach Red Miller used to crank up warmups before a game by saying, "We're gonna Run, Run, Run all day; we're gonna run it down their throats and then run it some more!..."

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Interesting (to me at least), I did not realize (or forgot with the passage of time) that Lenkaitis played for San Diego for three years prior to becoming a Patriot. The Chargers drafted him as a guard in the second round but the Pats got him for nothing, picking him up off waivers; I was under the impression that the Patriots drafted him.

Same here. I didn't know that. Of course there was no internet resource back then.
I remember him well. I loved that 70s roster.
Condolences to his family.