Today in Patriots History Only Four Days Until First Day of 2024 Training Camp
Happy 50th birthday to Tony Gaiter Born July 15, 1974 in Miami Patriot PR/KR/WR, 1997-2000; uniform #17 ('97) and #14 (2000) Pats 6th round (192nd overall) selection of the 1997 draft, from Miami
Tony Gaiter (shouldn't he have gone to the University of Florida rather than the U, with that name?) did not look like a football player, standing just 5'8 and weighing 169 pounds. He ran track and was a tailback with the Hurricanes, then switched to receiver his senior year. The Pats cut Gaiter near the end of training camp his rookie year, then signed him to the practice squad. He was activated in late November, and played in a week 14 victory over the Colts. Gaiter was again waived at the end of the 1998 camp. He was re-signed prior to a week 8 game at Miami but did not play, and was once again released.
After two seasons in San Diego he came back for a third Pats training camp in 2000 - perhaps hoping for better luck with new head coach BB - but again did not survive roster cuts. His career NFL stat line reads 11.9 yards per return on 13 punts and 18.4 yards on 16 kickoff returns, all with the Chargers.
The first mandatory cut down date is still more than a week away, but Head Coach Bill Belichick didn’t wait until Aug. 22 to drop the axe on several players.
FOXBORO, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced the signing of veteran free agent wide receiver Chris Calloway and also released eight players, including veteran wide receiver Vincent Brisby.
The New England Patriots announced that they have placed offensive tackle Max Lane on their injured reserve list due to a fracture in his left leg. He will miss the rest of the 2000 NFL season.
FOXBORO, Mass. - The New England Patriots signed first year offensive lineman Grey Ruegamer (pronounced: RUE-guh-mer) today, after placing rookie wide receiver Dane Looker on injured reserve with a leg injury.
Today in Patriots History Only Four Days Until First Day of 2024 Training Camp
Happy 50th birthday to Tony Gaiter Born July 15, 1974 in Miami Patriot PR/KR/WR, 1997-2000; uniform #17 ('97) and #14 (2000) Pats 6th round (192nd overall) selection of the 1997 draft, from Miami
Tony Gaiter (shouldn't he have gone to the University of Florida rather than the U, with that name?) did not look like a football player, standing just 5'8 and weighing 169 pounds. He ran track and was a tailback with the Hurricanes, then switched to receiver his senior year. The Pats cut Gaiter near the end of training camp his rookie year, then signed him to the practice squad. He was activated in late November, and played in a week 14 victory over the Colts. Gaiter was again waived at the end of the 1998 camp. He was re-signed prior to a week 8 game at Miami but did not play, and was once again released.
After two seasons in San Diego he came back for a third Pats training camp in 2000 - perhaps hoping for better luck with new head coach BB - but again did not survive roster cuts. His career NFL stat line reads 11.9 yards per return on 13 punts and 18.4 yards on 16 kickoff returns, all with the Chargers.
The first mandatory cut down date is still more than a week away, but Head Coach Bill Belichick didn’t wait until Aug. 22 to drop the axe on several players.
FOXBORO, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced the signing of veteran free agent wide receiver Chris Calloway and also released eight players, including veteran wide receiver Vincent Brisby.
The New England Patriots announced that they have placed offensive tackle Max Lane on their injured reserve list due to a fracture in his left leg. He will miss the rest of the 2000 NFL season.
FOXBORO, Mass. - The New England Patriots signed first year offensive lineman Grey Ruegamer (pronounced: RUE-guh-mer) today, after placing rookie wide receiver Dane Looker on injured reserve with a leg injury.
Today in Patriots History Only Four Days Until Training Camp
Happy 67th Birthday to Dave Jacobs Born July 15, 1957 in Scranton, PA
Patriot K, 1979 training camp Signed as a free agent on August 10, 1979
5'7, 151 pounds Dave Jacobs was brought in as either an extra camp leg, or insurance for incumbent 30-year old John Smith. Four days after signing with the Pats he was waived with an injury designation, and placed on IR on August 15. The Patriots released him with an injury settlement on September 10, one day after their week two 56-3 demolition of the New York Jets. It was the second time in 11 months that the Pats put a 50-burger on the scoreboard against Gang Green; they also defeated the Jete in 1978 55-21.
An All-America kicker at Syracuse University from 1975-1978, Jacobs played 12 games in the NFL. He then kicked in the NFL with the New York Jets in 1979, the Cleveland Browns in 1981, and the Philadelphia Eagles in 1987.
Jacobs was an All-America kicker at Syracuse in 1978 and graduated as the top scorer in the school's history. In 1979, Dave was selected by the Denver Broncos in the 12th-round of the NFL Draft. After being cut by the Broncos that year, he played in four games for the New York Jets during the 1979 season, making 5-9 field goals and 10-11 extra points before being released.
After a failed trial with the New England Patriots, Jacobs signed with the Cleveland Browns in 1981. He was released that year after missing an extra point and field goal in the Browns' 27-16 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Dave played in five games that year for the Browns and only made 4-12 field goals.
Jacobs returned to the NFL in 1987 after a six year absence. That season, he played in three games for the Philadelphia Eagles as both a kicker and punter. He finished with ten punts and made three of five field goals (and only two of four extra points). After his stint with the Eagles, Jacobs did not play in the NFL again.
On August 16, 1978 the Patriots sent a 1979 third round draft pick and a 1980 fourth to Los Angeles for WR Harold Jackson. The 32-year old five-time Pro Bowler still had some gas left in the tank, averaging 20.3 yards per catch on 156 receptions and scoring 18 touchdowns for the Patriots from 1978 to 1981.
The Rams selected Wellman, a center from Kansas with that third round pick in the 1979 draft. He played in 20 NFL games, all with Green Bay - making that trade a definite win for the Patriots.
On September 3, 1973 the Pats made another draft pick trade, sending a 1974 fourth to Pittsburgh for Ralph Anderson. To say it did not work out as well as the Harold Jackson trade would be a massive understatement.
A 1971 fifth round pick from West Texas A&M, Anderson was a safety who had played in 21 games (9 starts) in two seasons for the Steelers, with four interceptions. He lasted one season with the Pats, playing in 13 games (11 starts), with two picks.
Pittsburgh used that fourth round pick on Stallworth, a wide receiver from Alabama A&M. All he did was proceed to play in the NFL for 14 years, scoring 64 touchdowns while being named to three Pro Bowls, winning four super bowls, and being named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
John Stallworth is standing in one of his least favorite places, the glow of a spotlight. In a light-blue button-down shirt and dress slacks, he is behind a
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- Alex Karras (1935-2012); great uncle of former patriot offensive lineman Ted Karras
The Hall of Fame defensive tackle for the Lions from 1958 to 1970 was at the wrong end of the power of the NFL commissioner in 1963, when he was suspended for a full year. The NFL wanted him to sell his partial ownership in a Detroit bar due to rumors of gambling and mob influense, and Karras did not care for the league's heavy handedness. The league wanted to protect their appearance of integrity (sound familiar), and made examples of Karras and Paul Hornung by suspending the two stars for a full season.
Karras later became known by the next generation for being a Hollywood actor: as Mongo in Blazing Saddles, Sheriff Wallace in Porky's, Squash Bernstein in Victor Victoria, and George Papadopoulos on Webster. In addition to Alex Karras being the great uncle to Ted Karras, he had two brothers and a nephew that also played in the NFL.
Karras, an All-Pro lineman for the Detroit Lions, gained attention for roles in the movies, like in “Blazing Saddles,” and on television, like in the sitcom “Webster.”
- Steve Bartalo, 60 (7/15/64); was also born in Maine, and also moved away as a youth - but for him it was to Colorado. The running back was a sixth round pick by Tampa Bay in '87; he spent one season with the Bucs, one with SF and two in NFL Europe.
Oct. 29, 2011 By John Hirn Author of Aggies to Rams Over the course of Colorado State athletic history few athletes have held many NCAA records for long peri...
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- Tim Riordan, 64 (7/15/60); this New London native was a quarterback at Temple back when Bruce Arians was the head coach for the Owls. He was drafted by the St Louis Cardinals in '84, and was later a backup QB for the Saints. Riordan also played in the USFL for two seasons.
You might not be able to see it, but Tim Riordan is third from the left, first row, seated next to punter Sean Landetta.I got an email the other day from a Tim Riordan and that got me thinking abou…
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- **** Rauch (1893-1970); Rauch was an offensive lineman and player-coach for five seasons in the early days of the NFL - including in 1929 when the Pottsville Maroons moved and became known as the Boston Bulldogs. Their home games were played at Braves Field, later known as Nickerson Field - the same site the Patriots played their home games 30-plus years later for the first three years of their existence. Ghosts of the Gridiron | Pottsville Maroons
Lastly, in addition to Karras and Stallworth, some other pro football player born on July 15:
- Carnell Lake, 57 (7/15/67); the safety was named to the NFL's all-decade team for the 1990s, and was the Pittsburgh Steeler defensive backs coach from 2011-2017.
Joe Phillips, the Chargers' 6-foot-5, 315-pound starting nose tackle, was hospitalized after being severely beaten by three men early Wednesday when he left a Mission Beach restaurant.
The ex-wife of a brain-injured Kansas City Chiefs player may not intervene in his concussion-related lawsuit against the National Football League to present her loss of consortium claims, a federal court in Pennsylvania ruled.
news.bloomberglaw.com
-Sammy Winder, 65 (7/15/59); Pro Bowl RB for Denver in the eighties.
When Denverites hear the name of Sammy Winder, a former starrunning back for the Broncos, they show all the excitement of afern. Some even ask, "Sammy who?"
July 15, 1971:
The Patriots hire Upton Bell as their general manager. At age 33 Bell - the son of former NFL commissioner Bert Bell - was the youngest GM in the league. Previously Bell had been the personnel director for the Baltimore Colts, who had just won Super Bowl 5.
Although he was not in New England very long, Bell did have a positive impact. His first act in Foxboro was to change the name of the team from the Bay State Patriots to the New England Patriots. Bell hired Bucko Kilroy and **** Steinberg, along with several other quality scouts and front office executives. He wanted to fire John Mazur early on, but received push back from the team's board of directors. The two sides ended up agreeing that if the Patriots lost to the Colts in the final game of the '71 season that Mazur would be let go. The Pats upset Baltimore 21-17 thanks to a fourth quarter 88 yard bomb from Jim Plunkett to Randy Vataha, to finish the season 6-8. One year later the team regressed to 3-11 - and Mazur was finally fired. However, Upton Bell was also fired, collateral damage in the house cleaning.
In 1974 Upton Bell purchased a World Football League franchise, the Charlotte Hornets, where he also served as team president and general manager. The WFL only lasted two years, and was Bell's final association with pro football. Bell did play a part in Carolina getting an NFL franchise, strongly recommending Charlotte to the league as a place for the league to consider as an expansion or relocation franchise.
Upton Bell was born with football in his blood. His father, Bert Bell, co-founded the Philadelphia Eagles in 1933 and was later the NFL commissioner from 1946-59. Following Bert Bell’s death at an Eagles’ game in 1959, Upton Bell soon landed a job working in the front office for the Baltimore...
• Editor’s note: Former Patriots general manager Upton Bell has authored a newly available book, “Present at the Creation: My Life in the NFL and the Rise of America’s Game,” with Herald columnist Ron Borges.…
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July 15, 2015:
On this date it was revealed that Donald Trump was seriously considering buying the Patriots, but backed off after being advised it was not worth it.
Trump was approached about purchasing the Patriots, but he didn’t want to take on the team’s debts.
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July 15, 2015:
The Patriots sign Stephen Gostkowski to a four-year contract valued at $17 million. The team had placed the franchise tag on the kicker the previous spring, and was literally down to the final day to either work out a long term contract, or go into the season with him on the franchise tag cost of $4.1 million. Gostkowski had set the franchise record for most career points scored during the week 15 victory over Miami the prior season.
The Patriots have signed rookie defensive lineman Darryl Richard, a seventh-round pick, to a four-year deal.
www.boston.com
According to two league sources, the Patriots have signed rookie defensive lineman Darryl Richard, the second of their two seventh-round picks (No. 234 overall), to a four-year deal.
The last of the 12 players the Patriots picked in the 2009 draft, Richard is the fourth draft pick to ink a deal with the Patriots, joining cornerback Darius Butler, offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger and fellow defensive lineman Myron Pryor.
The 6-foot, 4-inch, 290-pound Richard was a second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection for Georgia Tech last season, after he had 34 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and four sacks.
One of Richard’s greatest assets — on and off the field — is his intelligence. He scored a 37 on the Wonderlic intelligence test given to NFL draft prospects. That was the highest score of any Patriots draft pick, and the top mark among all defensive linemen in the draft.
Richard earned his bachelor’s degree in management in three years. He then completed a masters’s degree in business administration in a year and a half, graduating one semester early.
In 2008, he won the James E. Tatum Award, presented to the ACC’s top student-athlete among football players.
Richard plays the piano and was also the president of the Georgia Tech student advisory board in 2006-07.
July 15, 2005: Scott Pioli is re-signed to a contract extension as Vice President of Player Personnel. Pioli had been with New England since 2000, and would stay with the Pats through 2008, when he took over as General Manager for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Scott Pioli, who helped build the New England Patriots teams that have won three of the last four Super Bowls, has agreed to a contract extension as the team's vice president of player personnel.
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July 15, 2004:
Patriots sign veteran Jim Miller. The quarterback had an 11-2 record as a starter with the Bears in 2001, guiding Chicago to their first postseason in seven years. Miller suffered a shoulder injury thanks to a cheap shot from Philadelphia's Hugh Douglas early in the divisional round game, and was never quite the same after that. After the Pats 20-3 playoff victory over the Colts in the 2004 postseason, Bill Belichick specifically praised Miller - who was a healthy scratch in all 19 games that season - for his work on the scout team, emulating Peyton Manning.
On the same day the Pats also signed another quarterback, Kurt Kittner, who had been a fifth round draft pick from Illinois in 2002 by Atlanta; he didn't last long, being released on August 6.
There’s so much to enjoy if you’re a fan of these Patriots that it’s easy to overlook how much there is to be learned as well.When you’re about to appear in your eighth Super Bowl, as Bill Belichick and Tom Brady…
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July 15, 2003:
Pats sign seventh round draft pick Ethan Kelley, and fourth round draft picks Asante Samuel and Dan Klecko.
July 15, 1998:
Third round draft pick Chris Floyd is signed to a contract.
July 15, 1997:
Two third-round draft pick are signed: safety Chris Carter and running back Sedrick Shaw.
July 15, 1993:
New England claims safety Ken Swilling off waivers from Cincinnati. The defensive back never made it in the NFL, but had been a star on Georgia Tech's undefeated 1990 national championship team.
A guy who wears a black visor over his eyes, has the number 1 emblazoned on his jersey and has K. SOLO painted on his shoes probably ought to add a cape to
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July 15, 1991:
Pats sign first round draft pick Pat Harlow and third round pick Calvin Stephens
July 15, 1988:
Patriots sign a pair of fourth round draft picks, K Teddy Garcia and NT Tim Goad
July 15, 1984:
Pats release two players, NT Dean Haugum of Mesa College and QB Tony Colao of Mount Union College. Both players had just been signed May 14.
The New England Patriots announced Monday the signing of 15 free agents as the NFL club opened its 1984 sping mini-camp....
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July 15, 1982:
For some unknown reason the Patriots re-sign wide receiver Carlos Pennywell to a second, multi-year contract. The third round pick of the 1978 draft had a mere twelve receptions in his first four seasons, a stat that by comparison would make N'Keal Harry an All-Pro. He was placed on waivers on August 25, and never played in the NFL after that less than inspiring resume.
July 15, 1981:
Pats sign supplemental draft pick WR Chy Davidson and free agent QB Dave Rader. Neither ever played for the Patriots, but Rader went on to become a college coach and then majority caucus chair of the Oklahoma state senate.
July 15, 1980:
Patriots sign their latter first round draft pick, Notre Dame RB Vagas Ferguson
July 15, 1975:
The Patriots acquire Steve Zabel from Philadelphia, for a 1976 fourth round draft pick and a 1977 eighth round pick. The trade was one of many shrewd transactions made by Chuck Fairbanks during his time in Foxborough; Zabel would proceed to be the Pats starting outside linebacker for the next four seasons.
In 1968, Oklahoma football coach Chuck Fairbanks made a choice that would dramatically change tight end Steve Zabel’s career. The Sooners started off slow despite a No. 5 preseason ranking, with a …
The Eagles quickly realized the former tight end's personality was better suited for the defensive side of the football. Following his career, Zabel made a significant impact in Oklahoma City.
July 15, 1972: Isaac Lassiter is traded to Washington for a 1973 ninth round draft pick. The defensive end had been with the Patriots for the previous two seasons, but was slowing down due to age and injuries. Ike had spent most of his career in the AFL West with the Broncos and Raiders; he was an All Star in 1966 and unofficially led the league with 17 sacks in 1967.
RALEIGH, N.C. (Feb. 19) – Isaac "Ike" Lassiter was a mountain of a man with a bigger heart.
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Oct 10, 1971: Ed Philpott (52, left background); Ron Berger, 88 foreground); Jim Cheyunski (50, on the ground); Clarence Scott (26, center background); Steve Kiner (57, about to land on Jet QB Al Woodall); Ike Lassiter (87, right)
July 15, 1971:
New England signs the first overall pick of the NFL draft, QB Jim Plunkett of Stanford
