Today in Patriots History
More 20th Century News
July 11, 1961:
Boston Patriots sign DE
Rosey King
Roosevelt King grew up in Wadley, Georgia (current population 1,643) and played for three years at South Carolina State. His football career, if you can call it that, was postponed by two years in the United States Army before signing with the Pats. King was one of 75 players invited to training camp at UMass Amherst, and one of 28 that head coach Lou Saban cut before the season kicked off.
For the next six years King played minor league football: for 1961 United Football League champion
Columbus Colts;
Jacksonville Robins and
Orlando Broncos of the Southern Football League;
Wheeling Ironmen in the Continental Football League; and the Lakeland Brahmans, who won the Gold Division title but lost in the 1966 North American Football League championship game.
July 11, 1962:
Patriots sign QB
Jackie Moynihan
Moynihan was a 12th round draft pick by the New York Giants in 1961, from Holy Cross. He was with the Patriots for both the 1962 and 1963 training camps, but never appeared in any regular season games for the Pats. From 1963 to 1967 Moynihan played in the Atlantic Coast Football league, for the
Portland Sea Hawks and the
Lowell Giants, prior to their relocating to Quincy. Moynihan was the starting QB for the 1966 Lowell team that played for the ACFL championship, along with past Patriot players
Harry Crump and
Tom Stephens, as well as for the 1967 team that included future NFL record holding kicker
Tom Dempsey.
July 11, 1991:
Pats re-sign Plan B Free Agent OT
Stan Clayton
Rookies and select veterans report to training camp at Bryant College in Smithfield, Rhode Island
Clayton was a 1988 10th round draft pick by Atlanta, from Penn State. He started nine games for the Falcons in 1989 but was waived at the end of training camp the following year, and claimed by the Patriots. Clayton played in 11 games with three starts for the Pats in that dismal 1990 season for
Rod Rust, before being re-signed by new coach
**** MacPherson. Clayton bounced on and off the 1991 roster three times, but did not get on the field for any snaps, and was not re-signed as a free agent in 1992.
Since 1995 Stan Clayton has been a college football coach, primarily on the offensive line. Since 2024 he has been OC at division two Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina.
Benedict College head football coach Ron ****erson Jr. has announced his coaching staff.
www.si.com
Stan Clayton joins the Benedict Football coaching staff as the Offensive Coordinator and offensive line coach. He joins the Tigers after serving as Offensive
benedicttigers.com
July 11, 1995:
Signed free agent LB
Kevin O'Brien.
Waived rookie free agent LB
Byron Wright.
O'Brien was originally signed in 1988 by Buffalo as an undrafted rookie out of Bowling Green State, where he had been a two-time All-Mid-American Conference selection. He had spent one season in the CFL and one in Europe with Barcelona before signing with New England. A month later the Patriots released O'Brien as part of the first round of roster cuts to get down to 60 players, and that was it for his pro football career - and the start of his business career.
BVM CEO Kevin O’Brien wins Gold for Executive of the Year in the 2025 Best in Biz Awards International, honoring his visionary leadership.
www.bestversionmedia.com
Best Version Media CEO Kevin O’Brien has been selected to join the invitation-only Inc. Leadership Forum, recognizing top executives from companies across the U.S. The forum connects visionary leaders through exclusive events, peer collaboration, and thought leadership opportunities.
www.bestversionmedia.com
Byron Wright was one of 17 undrafted rookies signed immediately after the 1995 draft. Of that group, S Eddie Cade, LB Alcides Catanho, WR Hason Graham, FB Rupert Grant, RB David Green, TE Andre President and CB Dwayne Provo would all go on to play for the Patriots, but not Wright, whose NFL career was over before the start of training camp.
July 11, 1996:
Patriots re-sign DT
Bruce Walker
Patriots sign 7th round draft pick TE
Lovett Purnell
Purnell didn't get much playing time as a rookie, but played in every game for the next two years. Over three seasons he started seven games and had five touchdown receptions, playing in a total of 37 regular season and postseason games for the Pats.
Walker had been a 2nd round draft pick in 1994 by Philadelphia, from UCLA - but was released as part of final roster cuts, despite his draft status. He played in 11 games with five starts for the 1995 Pats team that was coached by
**** MacPherson and
Dante Scarnecchia.
Bruce Walker is most famous for having one of the most bizarre off-field injuries in Patriots history, which is no easy task.
Bruce Walker, a defensive lineman for the New England Patriots, incurred a stab wound in his chest while he and a friend were throwing a steak knife at each other in a grocery store parking lot.
www.latimes.com
NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. — Bruce Walker, a defensive lineman for the New England Patriots, incurred a stab wound in his chest while he and a friend were throwing a steak knife at each other in a grocery store parking lot.
Police said that Walker, who played at UCLA, suffered the wound when he missed a catch. He was treated at Southwood Community Hospital in Norfolk and required several stitches, police said.
Walker’s North Attleboro telephone number is unlisted. But the 6-foot-4, 310-pound nose tackle told the Sun Chronicle of Attleboro that he was puzzled by the interest in the incident, saying “nothing happened.”
“You have nothing better to do? No, I have nothing to say,” Walker told the newspaper Tuesday.
The incident occurred Saturday night in the parking lot of a supermarket on Route 1, Walker told police.
Police said Walker provided few details about how the incident occurred or who his knife-tossing friend was. Officers were unsuccessful in trying to locate the man Walker said was with him, said Attleboro police Detective Lt. Michael Gould.
Gould said the matter remains under investigation.
N.F.L. Training Camp Report - Aug 15, 1996
Bill Parcells has a reputation for being tough with some proven veterans. So, for a rookie the Patriots' coach didn't want in the first place, things can get downright ugly.
That's what Patriots wide receiver Terry Glenn is learning as he struggles to adjust to the National Football League and recover from an injury.
All through camp, Parcells has questioned Glenn's recovery time -- he hasn't practiced yet this month -- from what the coach stresses is a ''mild'' hamstring strain. Last week the name-calling started with Parcells referring to Glenn as ''she.''
Glenn set records for receiving yards and touchdowns in his junior year at Ohio State and the Patriots made him the No. 7 pick over all in the draft. The problem was, Parcells didn't want him. He was hoping to build his defense, but the Patriots owner Bob Kraft had spent $42 million signing quarterback Drew Bledsoe for seven years, and wanted to give him someone to throw to.
Yesterday Parcells said that if Glenn isn't back soon he will have to miss the Sept. 1 regular-season opener in Miami. ''He has missed an awful lot of practice,'' Parcells said. ''For someone to expect him to be ready -- to say, 'O.K., he's healthy now so he's ready to play the first game' -- if that's one week before the season, I mean, do you think that's realistic?''
Whatever happens with Glenn, he's likely to fare better than Bruce Walker. The defensive lineman, who got stitches in his chest while playing catch with a steak knife just before camp opened, was released yesterday.
July 11, 1997:
Patriots re-sign Exclusive Rights Free Agent
Ray Lucas
New England signed Ray Lucas as an undrafted rookie immediately after the 1996 draft. He had been a quarterback at Rutgers, but Bill Parcells' plan was to convert him to a wide receiver. Pete Carroll cut Lucas during the '97 preseason, Parcells claimed him off waivers.
One year later Jet starting QB Vinny Testaverde suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in week one, with Rick Mirer taking over. Mirer underwhelmed, and Parcells inserted Lucas as his QB. In his second start was in Foxborough, with the Patriots favored by six, Lucas threw two touchdown passes, Curtis Martin rushed for 149 yards and another TD, and the 2-6 Jets jumped out to a 24-3 lead en route to a 24-17 victory over the 6-2 Patriots on MNF. Watching Parcells, Martin and Lucas beat the Patriots that night was enough to make Pats fans throw up in their mouths.
Rutgers University Athletics
scarletknights.com
Ray was in the National Football League for seven seasons: four with the Jets, one with the Patriots, and two with the Miami Dolphins.
newcanaansociety.org
