Today in Patriots History
Tony McGee, Jermaine Wiggins & more
Happy 73rd birthday to
Tony McGee
Born Jan 18, 1949 in Battle Creek, Michigan
Patriot DE, 1974-1981; uniform #78
Acquired on Sept 10, 1974 from Chicago for a 1975 8th and 1976 3rd round draft pick
Tony McGee played in 121 games with the Patriots. Consisting of Julius Adams, Ray Hamilton, Mel Lunsford and McGee, the New England defensive line was a formidable group in the late seventies. McGee also spent three NFL seasons each with Chicago and Washington, and is unofficially credited with 106.5 sacks in his career. (Sacks did not become an official statistic until 1982; as a frame of reference, Hall of Famer Andre Tippett had 100 career sacks.)
McGee was a player at the University of Wyoming when an ugly and mostly forgotten incident took place. The Cowboys played Brigham Young every year, and in 1968
BYU's all-white squad had hurled racial slurs and cheap shots at black Wyoming players during their game. Just prior to playing BYU again a year later, 14 players approached the Wyoming head coach about wearing black armbands as a form of protest. That group not only did not get the support from the head coach they were seeking - they were all immediately kicked off the team. Wyoming had been ranked #16, but lost its final four games without those 14 men; a year later they fell to 1-9.
The defensive end transferred to now defunct Bishop College in Texas. The situation in Wyoming caused him to fall from a first round draft pick to the third round, due to gossip and assumptions that McGee must have been a troublemaker. He went on to play in 212 NFL games, and in two Super Bowls. In his post-NFL career he started a physical therapy business in the Virginia suburbs of DC, which he ran for 13 years before selling to a health care firm.
The Black 14 received an apology from UW during a dinner Friday in Laramie.
trib.com
Happy 47th birthday to
Jermaine Wiggins
Born Jan 18, 1975 in East Boston
Patriot TE, 2000-2001; uniform #85
Claimed off waivers from Jets on Nov 28, 2000
The graduate of East Boston High School and Bridgton Academy in Maine is remembered not for his 20 regular season games with the Patriots, but for the 2001 postseason. In the divisional round Snow Bowl game against Oakland he had ten receptions, four of which came on the fourth quarter drive that ended with Tom Brady scoring on a six yard run, to cut the deficit to three points. Wiggins then had three more catches on the game winning drive that culminated with Adam Vinatieri's improbable field goal, including a clutch six-yard reception on 3rd-and-five. Wiggins then came up big on the final drive of Super Bowl 36, making a catch with 21 seconds remaining to set up another iconic Vinatieri game winning field goal.
Happy 37th birthday to
Matthew Mulligan
Born Jan 18, 1985 in West Enfield, Maine
Patriot TE, 2013; uniform #88
Signed as a free agent on Sept 2, 2013
The former University of Maine Black Bear had spent time on practice squads and active rosters with the Dolphins, Titans, Jets and Rams over five years, playing in 50 games before being signed by New England. Mulligan played in 15 games with four starts as a pretty decent blocking tight end, scoring a week four touchdown at Atlanta. He bounced around a bit more from 2014-2016, with Chicago, Arizona, Tennessee, Buffalo and Detroit. Mulligan played in 89 games over his NFL career from 2009-2016.
In memory of
Kenyatta Jones, who would have turned 43 today (1979-2018)
Born Jan 18, 1979 in Gainesville, Florida
Patriot OL, 2001-2002; uniform #74
Pats 4th round (96th overall) selection of the 2001 draft, from South Florida
The Pats thought enough of Jones to move up 16 spots in the draft to select him, trading their own fourth (#112) and a fifth (#139) to San Diego for the #96 pick. I can remember Jones as being a very athletic run blocker in college, though it was not against top competition. He played in 18 games for the Patriots with 11 starts.
Jones was waived by the Patriots on Oct 26, 2003, three days after pleading not guilty to multiple charges stemming from a bizarre incident where he doused a roommate with scalding water, causing second and third degree burns.
The former Bulls offensive tackle died of cardiac arrest in Colorado, his mother said
www.tampabay.com
Patriot player pleads not guilty to scalding aide | boston.com
On the day he was to return to the team after a long medical absence, Jones pleaded not guilty to charges of assault with intent to maim, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and mayhem, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Police said the injuries suffered at Jones's Walpole home Monday night by Mark Paul, 33, were enough to warrant the mayhem charge, which involves a crime where there is "intent to maim or disfigure," according to state criminal law.
Happy 27th birthday to
Chad Hansen
Born Jan 18, 1995 in Fillmore, California
Patriot WR, 2018; uniform #16
Claimed off waivers from Jets on Sept 2, 2018
Chad Hansen was only with the Patriots for a week. A day after being on the
week one inactive list versus Houston the Pats released the 6'2, 202 lb receiver from Cal. Hansen played in 15 games for the Jets in 2017; then spent most of the last two years on the practice squad for the Texans. He appeared in the final five games of the 2020 season for Houston, with 17 receptions and one touchdown.
Happy 30th birthday to
Jonathan Krause
Born Jan 18, 1992 in San Bernardino, California
Patriot WR/PR, 2014-2015; uniform #16
Signed as a free agent to the practice squad on Oct 24, 2014
Jonathan Krause spent almost all of the 2014 season from week seven forward
on the New England practice squad, earning a ring for Super Bowl 49 in the process. He was waived/injured at the end of 2015 training camp and was placed on injured reserve, then released with an injury settlement on Sept 19.
From 2014 to 2017 Krause was with the Browns, Patriots, Eagles, Bucs, Chargers, Bucs again, and Titans, on practice squads and in training camps. He made it to the field for two NFL games with Philly in 2015, with two receptions.
Other football players born on this date with a New England connection include:
Chris Snee, 40 (1982)
Boston College
The four-time Pro Bowl right guard played ten seasons with the Giants, winning two super bowl rings.
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