Today In Patriots History Feb 12, 1969: Clive Rush is electrocuted

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Today in Patriots History
Clive Rush is electrocuted​

On February 12, 1969 the Boston Patriots held a press conference to announce the hiring of George Sauer as their new general manager. Sauer had most recently worked with new head coach Clive Rush, for the New York Jets as the director of player personnel. Both were viewed by Billy Sullivan as winners who would lead the Pats to glory, duplicating the results they had just experienced a month earlier when the Jets defeated Baltimore in what would later be known as Super Bowl III. (Sullivan chose Rush over future Hall of Famer Chuck Noll, because Rush was an OC with the SB3 winning Jets, while Noll was the DC and DB coach for the losing Colts. Oops.)


Nobody would remember Sauer, but the press conference would proceed to become an unforgettable moment in the history of the Patriots franchise. It was also an omen of the Clive Rush era – or error.

Rush walked up to the podium and put his hand on the microphone – and immediately began screaming in anguish. Electricity from the live mike went up one arm, across his shoulders and down the other arm. The current temporarily paralyzed his muscles. As a result he was unable to let go, and the voltage continued to flow through his body. Rush staggered to the corner like a wounded monster in a Hollywood B-movie, still unable to make his hand release the microphone from his grasp. Patriot board member Dan Marr jumped up and began ripping every wire he could get his hands on out of the sockets they were plugged into. That caused the current to finally stop flowing through Rush’s body, saving his life.

50 years ago, an electric shock almost killed a Patriots coach during a press conference

The Patriots have come a long way from where the team was half a century ago. The current Super Bowl champions were in a very different place in early 1969. Nothing epitomized that more than a bizarre press conference on Feb. 12 of that year, when newly installed coach Clive Rush had to receive...

www.boston.com

Feb 12, 1969: Patriots owner Billy Sullivan (left) and Clive Rush (center) prepare to introduce George Sauer (right) at the infamous press conference​

February 12, 2020:
The New England Patriots reportedly extend the contract of Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio for one more year. He joined the Pats in 2001 as a personnel assistant and then worked as an offensive coaching assistant (2002), area scout (2003), director of pro personnel (2004-06) and wide receivers coach (2007) prior to being named the director of player personnel in 2008. Previously Caserio was a three-time academic all-conference quarterback at division 3 John Carroll University from 1995 to 1998, playing alongside Josh McDaniels, linebacker London Fletcher, and Chargers GM Tom Telesco.

2020 turned out to be the final year that Caserio would work for the Patriots; he accepted a job offer to become the Houston Texans' general manager on January 17, 2021.




February 12, 2009:
Pats hire Shane Waldron as tight ends coach, Jon Robinson as director of college scouting, and promote Monti Ossenfort to national scout.

Patriots coaching, scouting moves

Shane Waldron promoted to tight ends coach; Jon Robinson now director of college scouting; Monti Ossenfort elevated to national scout.

www.boston.com

Tight Ends Coach Shane Waldron will enter his second season as a member of the Patriots coaching staff and his fifth season with the organization in 2009. Waldron spent the 2008 season as an offensive coaching assistant for New England. He previously spent three seasons with the Patriots as a football operations intern and a football operations assistant from 2002-04.​

Director of College Scouting Jon Robinson will enter his eighth season in the Patriots’ personnel department and served as the assistant director of college scouting in 2008. He joined the Patriots in 2002 as an area scout and served in that position for four seasons from 2002-05. In 2006, he became a regional scout and served in that role for two seasons from 2006-07.​

National Scout Monti Ossenfort will enter his eighth season in the NFL and his fifth year with the Patriots, joining Bob Quinn as a Patriots national scout. Ossenfort was an area scout for the Patriots for three seasons from 2006-08 and was a personnel assistant for New England in 2003. He gained his first player personnel experience in 2002 as an intern in the Houston Texans’ pro personnel department. After spending the 2003 season with the Patriots, he returned to the Texans and served as a pro and college scouting assistant in 2004 and as a college scout in 2005.​

Wadron departed a year later, and worked at UMass from 2012-15. He's been back in the NFL since then, with Washington, the Rams, Seahawks (OC, 2021-23) and Bears (OC, 2024). In January the Jaguars hired Waldron to be their passing game coordinator.

Robinson worked with the Patriots through 2012, then became Tampa Bay's director of player personnel from 2013-15. He then became Tennessee's general manager, from 2016 to 2022.

Ossenfort remained as the Pats director of college scouting through 2019. Since 2023 he has been Arizona's general manager; prioer to that he was Tennessee's director of player personnel for three seasons.




February 12, 2007:
Pats waive Raymond 'Bubba' Ventrone.
It was not the first time, nor the last.




February 12, 1998:
Patriots re-sign unrestricted free agent Willi McGinest to a five-year contract.
Smart move.




February 12, 1994:
LT Bruce Armstrong is re-signed.
Another smart move; even though he would turn 30 by the time the season began, he would start every game for the next six seasons, and go to the Pro Bowl four consecutive times.




February 12, 1974:
WR coach Sam Rutigliano resigns.
He would become the Cleveland Browns' head coach from 1978-84, and in 1989 was hired by Jerry Falwell to kickstart the Liberty University football program.




Februaru 12, 1969:
George Sauer is hired to be general manager of the Boston Patriots, succeeding HC/GM Mike Holovak.
It was an electrifying press conference.
Sauer had previously been with the New York Titans/Jets as director of pro personnel since 1961; he would last two seasons, during which time the Patriots went 6-22.




February 12, 2025:
Patriots re-sign WR JaQuae Jackson. The ERFA had spent all of his rookie season on IR.

Patriots Bring Back Impressive WR For 2025

One of the guys who quietly had a good preseason was receiver JaQuae Jackson, and it looks like the Patriots would like to get a longer look at him.

www.patsfans.com

Former Patriot coach Matt Patricia is reported to be named Ohio State's new defensive coordinator.
The 2024 college champions had an opening after Penn State lured former Buckeyes DC Jim Knowles away with a big payday.




Happy 56th birthday to Dion Lambert
Born February 12, 1969 in Lake View Terrace, California
Patriot defensive back, 1992-1993; uniform #28
Pats fourth round (90th overall) selection of the 1992 draft, from UCLA

Dion Lambert played in thirty games with four starts over two seasons for the Patriots. During that time he had one interception, one forced fumble, a fumble recovery and one sack. Lambert has most recently worked as an assistant high school football coach in Los Angeles.




Happy 72nd birthday to Art Kuehn
Born Feb 12, 1953 in Victoria, British Columbia
Patriot center, 1983; uniform #78
Signed as a free agent on November 16, 1983

Art Kuehn played one season in the WFL and seven with Seattle prior to arriving in Foxboro. The Patriots added the former Seahawk after Pete Brock tore cartilage in his knee in a late season game against Miami. He played in two games with the Pats, then finished his pro football career with two seasons in the USFL. The native of Palo Alto and UCLA graduate played in 100 NFL games.




Happy 45th birthday to Ethan Kelley
Born February 12, 1980 in Amarillo, Texas
Patriot DT, 2003-2004; uniform #99
Pats seventh round (243rd overall) selection of the 2003 draft, from Baylor

On April 27, 2003 the Pats traded down ten slots in the fifth round with the Titans, picking up an additional sixth and seventh round pick. The Patriots used those draft picks on Dan Koppen, Kliff Kingsbury and Ethan Kelley. Kelley spent 2003 on the practice squad, then finally got on the playing field in the final game of the 2004 season. The Pats waived him at the beginning of training camp in 2005 and he was picked up by the Browns. Kelley appeared in 35 games for Cleveland and was inserted into the starting lineup in 2007 by Browns head coach Romeo Crennel, after Ted Washington went on injured reserve. Kelley suffered a knee injury in week 16 that required microfracture surgery, ending his NFL career.




Happy 45th birthday to Greg Lewis
Born Feb 12, 1980 in Chicago
Patriot WR, 2009 offseason; uniform #17
Acquired March 5, 2009 along with a 2010 7th round (#231) draft pick, in exchange for the Patriots 2009 5th round (#159) draft pick.

Bill Belichick is not the only head coach to ever make it a point of adding opposing players who he has witnessed perform well against his team. Sometimes it works out well, as in examples like Wes Welker, Mike Vrabel or Darrelle Revis. Other times it doesn’t pan out; Greg Lewis falls into the latter category.

Greg Lewis in training camp, 2009. He had 152 receptions and 8 touchdowns with the Eagles and Vikings from 2003-2010.​

Belichick happy Patriots added WR Lewis

Bill Belichick found a way to stop receiver Greg Lewis from tormenting his New England Patriots — trade for him.​

Lewis made the first touchdown catch of his career while playing for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2005. He had two touchdown catches in a 2007 game against the Pats, nearly derailing their undefeated regular season.​

“Greg has always killed us,” Belichick said recently. “Every time we’ve played him, he’s killed us. We haven’t been able to cover him very well so that kind of catches your attention.”​

Greg Lewis initially made the 2009 roster in New England but was released two days later on September 7, 2009. With the benefit of hindsight he was a poor fit. Lewis was primarily a slot receiver on a team that already had Wes Welker, with Julian Edelman his understudy. Since 2012 Lewis has been a coach at both the college level as well as the NFL including for the Eagles (WR coach, 2016), Chiefs (WR coach 2017-20; RB coach, 2021-22) and Ravens (2023-present).




And two other players from way back that were born on this date with a New England connection:

Walt Williams (1919-1990)
Boston University; Boston Yanks
Williams was a defensive back, halfback and punter in the late forties.

Johnny Dell Isola (1912-1986)
Born and raised in Everett; Everett High School
Isola won two NFL championships playing guard for the New York Giants from 1934 to 1940.