Today In Patriots History June 23: Happy birthday to Matt Light, Larry Whigham

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Today in Patriots History
Matt Light​

Happy 48th birthday to Matt Light
Born June 23, 1978 in Greenville, Ohio
Patriots left tackle, 2001-2011; uniform #72
Pats 2nd round (48th overall) selection of the 2001 draft, from Purdue
Pats résumé: 11 seasons, 155 games; 3x Super Bowl champion, 3x Pro Bowler, 2007 First Team All-Pro;
Pats All-2000s Team, Pats 50th Anniversary Team, Pats All-Dynasty Team; Pats Hall of Fame, 2018


The man that Ron Borges infamously overconfidently stated that the Patriots 'settled for and would not help any time soon' was a starter his rookie season, as the Patriots went on to defeat the Rams in Superbowl 36. That was the first of three rings Matt Light would earn, as he would proceed to play in 155 games for the Pats, plus 20 playoff games. The Pats went 15-5 with Light protecting Tom Brady's blindside in the postseason, and he was named to three Pro Bowls - despite battling Crohn's disease.

Matt Light was named to the Patriots All-2000s Team, the Pats 50th Anniversary Team, and in 2018 he was inducted to the Patriots Hall of Fame.

Light works with underprivileged and at risk youth, something he has done since his playing days.

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The Light Foundation | Inspiration for Generations

In 2001, former NFL player and 3x Superbowl Champion, Matt Light, and his wife Susie, established The Light Foundation to help young people develop the skills, values, and mindset they need to create a meaningful and productive future.

www.mattlight72.com

Notorious prankster Matt Light revisits his best stunts ahead of charity event

Matt Light kept teammates on their toes for years, but now he's using his pranking talents to raise money for The Light Foundation.

www.patriots.com

Matt Light: A Career Retrospective

We take a look back at the career of Patriots Offensive Lineman Matt Light (2001-2011). Light will be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame on Saturday, September 29, 2018.

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Matt Light voted by the fans into the Patriots Hall of Fame

The Patriots announced that offensive tackle Matt Light has been voted by fans as the 27th person to be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame.

www.patriots.com

Matt Light Talks Fatherhood, Football & Winning Super Bowls

Matt Light talks with Art Eddy and Tommy Riles about the work he does with his foundation, his time in the NFL and what it is like to win a Super Bowl.

www.lifeofdad.com

Matt Light — Blue Sky Sports & Entertainment

Book former NFL player Matt Light through Blue Sky Sports & Entertainment. A major asset during the New England Patriots’ dynasty, Light has transitioned his career into becoming a youth leadership advocate through his foundation, the Light Foundation.

www.blueskyse.com

The No Fun League has disappeared the videos, but on Nov 23, 2008 Matt Light had enough and whaled on Channing Crowder.
The Patriots defeated the Dolphins that day by the score of 48-28 to avenge the early season 'Wildcat Game' upset loss.​

Teammate Explains Why Matt Light Lost It, Pulled Channing Crowder's Hair: Joey Porter

Unless you were a Patriots fan or a self-loathing Dolphins supporter, you probably missed the live showing of Channing Crowder and Matt Light offering their interpretation of the Pacman-bodyguard hotel bathroom cat fight. You’ve no doubt seen the replay, although it’s still not clear what...

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Unless you were a Patriots fan or a self-loathing Dolphins supporter, you probably missed the live showing of Channing Crowder and Matt Light offering their interpretation of the Pacman-bodyguard hotel bathroom cat fight. You've no doubt seen the replay, although it's still not clear what precipitated the whole thing.​

Thankfully, the Boston Herald's Karen Guregian has some answers, via Light's offensive line mate, Logan Mankins:​

"He was doing a good job, drilling [Chowder] right in the head," Mankins said of Light, "so kudos to Matt." ...​

As to why the fight happened: "Any time you have a team with the guy 55 (Joey Porter), he just won't shut up the entire game," Mankins said. "Then I think some of the other guys are starting to play the way he does."​

Mankins also figures that Light won't face a suspension, just a fine. While whaling away on a dude not wearing a helmet might seem like an offense worth of a little time away from the game, as Mankins rightly points out, a precedent has been set. A few weeks ago, John Henderson actually tried to remove Andrew Whitworth's eyeballs and all it cost him was $15,000.​

Fire Ron Borges, the Broadsheet Bully

Fire Ron Borges, the Broadsheet Bully By Kerry J. Byrne, publisher, ColdHardFootballFacts.com and Bruce Allen, publisher, BostonSportsMedia.com. Update: Ron Borges “Retires” From Globe They’r…

bostonsportsmedia.com

Matt Light: Blocking Out the Pain

When the New England Patriots drafted Matt Light out of Purdue in 2001, the offensive lineman couldn’t really even call himself a fan of the sport. | SUCCESS

www.success.com

Light reveals decade-long battle with Crohn's

Matt Light hopes his successful battle with Crohn's disease will inspire others.

www.espn.com

How This Former NFL Player is Tackling Crohn’s Disease

Matt Light likes a good challenge, and when it comes to his battle with a severe inflammatory bowel disease, he’s been successful.

www.futureofpersonalhealth.com

Matt Light Is Still Protecting the Blind Side

The retired Patriots tackle runs a summer camp for disadvantaged teens in rural Ohio. But that’s just where the real work begins

www.si.com

 

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Where is Matt Light, legendary Patriots jokester and avid hunter?

Remember Matt Light, the Patriots legend who was caught hunting behind Gillette Stadium? Here's what he's doing now.

www.masslive.com

Patriots legend: I was hunting behind Gillette until Bill Belichick found out

A Patriots Hall of Famer said he was hunting turkeys on the property at Gillette Stadium for quite some time — until Bill Belichick caught wind of it.

www.masslive.com

Gillette Stadium can serve a lot of purposes. There are obviously football and soccer games, but it has also hosted hockey, lacrosse, monster truck events, concerts and more. There are plenty of meeting spaces to host corporate events and things like high school proms. It’s a multi-purpose stadium.​

However, Patriots Hall of Famer Matt Light also turned it into something unique to him: A hunting ground.​

On Julian Edelman’s Games With Names podcast, Light said he was hunting turkeys on the property for quite some time during his playing days — until Bill Belichick caught wind of it one morning.​

“I would hunt right behind the stadium,” Light said. “I pulled up and I hunted that property forever because (Robert) Kraft was like ‘I don’t know anything about what you’re doing.’ I’m like, all right, cool. It’s like a green light, right? I went in one morning, I’ve got my bow and everything ready to rock. (A turkey) sits right next to my decoy. I shoot him. I breast him out, I take him in and I always put him in the fridge there in the meal room.​

“As I’m eating breakfast, Bill walks in. He’s like, ‘You can’t have a (expletive) weapon on stadium property.’ I go, ‘Bill, it says you can’t have a handgun. You can’t have a gun. I had a bow and arrow.’ This was awesome, he goes, ‘You want to argue with me about what the rules say?’ The guy is pretty good at knowing what the rules are. When he said that I started second-guessing myself, I’m like ‘Aw, damn maybe it did say weapon.’”​

Matt Light | The Patriots Hall of Fame

www.patriotshalloffame.com

Matt Light Selected as 2018 Hall of Fame Inductee | The Patriots Hall of Fame

www.patriotshalloffame.com

Matt Light Inducted Into Patriots Hall Of Fame
2:13 WBZ News Highlight Video



Patriots Hall of Fame Induction of Matt Light
1:15:04 Full Video

 

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Today in Patriots History
Larry Whigham
Special Teamer Extraordinaire​

Happy 54th birthday to Larry Whigham
Born June 23, 1972 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Patriots safety/special teamer, 1994-2000; uniform #25
Signed off the Seattle practice squad on September 14, 1994
Pats résumé: seven seasons, 106 games, 139 tackles, one TD; two-time All Pro; seven postseason games; Pats All-1990s Team


Long before Matt Slater and even before Larry Izzo, there was Larry Whigham.


He was a originally a fourth round pick by the Seahawks out of Northeast Louisiana (now known as Louisiana-Monroe), via Pearl River Community College. The Pats signed him as a free agent two weeks into the '94 season after releasing Jason Carthen (who would become more well known as a radio personality and public speaker). Whigham became a two-time All Pro for his special team play, and arguably the best gunner in the NFL for a few years once Steve Tasker neared the end of his career. Larry Whigham played in 106 games with the Patriots, with five starts and four interceptions as their nickel and dime back. Three of those picks came off Dan Marino, including a 60-yard touchdown in a much needed 27-24 victory on November 23, 1997.

Super return still on Whigham's mind

FOXBORO -- Larry Whigham of the Patriots liked everything about Super Bowl XXXI -- except the score. "It was horrible," he said yesterday. "I knew I was going to be double-teamed, but I still felt …

www.southcoasttoday.com

Patriots Return to Winning Form

The New England Patriots finally found a quarterback to win a big game for them--Dan Marino.

articles.latimes.com

PATRIOTS SABOTAGE DOLPHINS

Frostbite was nowhere near the greatest danger nipping at Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. New England’s bone-chilling defense froze Marino out of the end zone, leaving the Dolphins out in the cold of the Super Bowl…

www.orlandosentinel.com

MARINO’S MAGIC LOSING ITS POWER

He threw more passes in the second half than Big Ten quarterbacks used to throw during their entire collegiate careers. Dan Marino put the ball up 60 times Sunday at Foxboro Stadium. Completed 38 for 389 yards. If the game had lasted…

www.courant.com

Special teams have been -- well -- special

FOXBORO -- Bill Parcells has stressed special teams play since the opening of training camp, and it looks like that emphasis is paying off. Parcells has said every week that special teams play is t…

www.southcoasttoday.com

"Troy (Brown) and I are this team's utility men" he said. "Right now neither one of us have done enough to convince the coaches we should be on the field all the time so we're trying to make things happen when we get out there."​

Not surprisingly Brown and Whigham have traveled similar difficult roads to the NFL.​

Whigham, a fourth round draft pick by Seattle in 1994, signed with the Pats' after being dropped from the Seahawks' practice squad. Brown, an eighth-round selection of the Pats in '93 was waived in '94 before being re-signed two years later.​

"When you get a second chance to make it in the NFL after you've been released, you're going to really fight for a job" said Whigham. "Troy and I really were both very determined the second time around."​

Whigham, who hardly did anything to get noticed as a rookie, began emerging as the Pats' special teams leader in '95 when he racked up 13 tackles and recovered a fumbled punt return by then-teammate David Meggett.​

But it wasn't until the following season that the 6-foot-2 205-pound native of Hattiesburg Miss. became a disruptive force in kicking situations.​

Whigham made 20 tackles, blocked a punt (which Tedy Bruschi returned for a touchdown), forced a fumble (which Corwin Brown returned for a touchdown) and downed three punts inside opponents' 10-yard lines.​

The only downsides of the season were his failure to crack the starting lineup and the way it ended -- in a 35-21 Super Bowl loss to Green Bay.​

Whigham got to play more in five- and six-defensive back sets last season and he responded with a career-best 19 defensive tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble.​

The highlight came in late November when he twice picked off passes by Miami's Dan Marino, returning one of them 60 yards for a touchdown.​

"That was a revenge situation for me" he said. "Two seasons before when I was working on a starting job Marino exploited me in a big way in our game at Miami, and I've been a backup ever since. Besides, Marino was always my mother's favorite quarterback."​

Larry Whigham missed just four games in seven years with New England. Unfortunately he was released prior to the 2001 season because Bill Belichick did not want to give Tebucky Jones - a first round pick from the 1998 draft who was going to start for the first time - added pressure with Whigham behind him. In retrospect Belichick should have cut Jones, who was drafted by Pete Carroll - Whigham was certainly the better player. As a result Larry never had the chance to play for that 2001 championship team and receive a well deserved Super Bowl ring. Whigham went on to play for the Bears for two seasons and retired after the 2002 season. He is a very worthy member of the Patriots All-1990s Team. Larry now lives in Houston, where his wife Kenyatta owns a photography studio.

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Pro Bowler Larry Whigham grew up in Mississippi, not far from the home of Walter Payton, and draws motivation from the legendary Bear.

Larry Whigham is trying to finish a sentence, but it's difficult. Teammates and Bears staff drop by his locker stall to borrow something or trade laughs. Whigham, a fiery, vocal and emotional leader of Bears special teams, gives as good as he gets, and the laughs are easy.

articles.chicagotribune.com

Front Row: Corwin Brown (S-30), Ty Law (CB-24), Bill Belichick, Scooter McGruder (CB-27), Jimmy Hitchcock (CB-31). Back row: Vernon Lewis (DB-43), Otis Smith (CB-45),
Lawyer Milloy (SS-36), Larry Whigham (DB-25), Willie Clay (FS-32), Terry Billups (CB-23), Ricky Reynolds (CB-21), Jerome Henderson (CB-26), Jimmy Hitchcock (CB-31).​

Pearl River CC

Pearl River CC

www.prccathletics.com

If there was a "Who's who in Late Bloomers in America," Larry Whigham of the New England Patriots of the National Football League would likely be featured.​

Whigham went from being a lowly manager for his high school football team in the late '80's to being an all-state performer at Pearl River Community College to being an exciting defender for the Patriots.​

Whigham was a standout defensive back for the Wildcats in 1991, intercepting five passes for a 6-4 Pearl River team. He went on to play in the MACJC JUCO All-Star game. This was after he missed the 1990 season at PRCC when he broke his collarbone in the first scrimmage of fall practice.​

"Larry was our defensive quarterback, "said Mike Humphries, PRCC interim head coach and assistant when Whigham was a Wildcat. "He was pretty intelligent on the field. He had good football sense. One main thing about him was his work ethic. He went out to the practice field everyday with the idea that he was going to get a little better."​

When Whigham was in the 10th grade at Hattiesburg High, his head coach, Willie Coats, felt sorry for him.​

"He was so small you didn't want him to get hurt, but I didn't want him to quit our program," Coats said. "He was a little bitty wormy kid."​

Coats kept him around as a manager for two years before he became a starter his senior year. He weighed 165 pounds and played end. The Tigers made it to the Class 5A state championship game that year before losing to West Point.​

"Even as a senior he was not that outstanding, but he could run," said Coats.​

Whigham wasn't ready to hang up his cleats. Coats got him a tryout at Pearl River. He made the team. Coats took over the PRCC program in 1991 and made Whigham a defensive back. That's when his football career took off.​

"By the time I got him at Pearl River he had picked up some size and strength," said Coats. "He was developing into a good football player. He was a late bloomer."​

Few colleges sought Whigham's services after he finished at PRCC. One of them was Northeast Louisiana in Monroe, La. There he was a reserve safety his junior year and a starting cornerback his senior year. He played well enough his senior year to catch the eyes of NFL scouts.​

"Larry's stock really rose in the Junior College All-Star game," said Humphreys. "His was an amazing story. Larry came to us as a little scrawny kid from Hattiesburg and bulked up to be a player." Whigham was a fourth round draft choice by the Seattle Seahawks in 1994, but was cut and claimed by the Patriots. He couldn't crack the starting lineup at New England but Coach Bill Parcells convinced him he could find a niche on special teams.​

He played so well on special teams in 1996 that he was voted by his peers as the AFC Special Teams Player of the Year. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl as the AFC's special teams player in 1997. He also played in the 1997 Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers.​

Larry Whigham - Former NFL Player - Project Max - Fighting Racism, Antisemitism and Intolerance through Sports

Larry Whigham carved out a standout nine-year NFL career as a special teams ace. After playing college football at Pearl River Community College and the University of Louisiana at Monroe, he was drafted by the Seahawks in 1994 but made his mark with the New England Patriots and later the Chicago...

www.projectmax.club

Larry Whigham Career Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Get Larry Whigham Career game log for regular season and playoff games on Pro-football-reference.com.

www.pro-football-reference.com

Larry Whigham Pro Football Record

The trusted source for pro football information about Larry Whigham. Get statistics, transactions. biographical data and more at Pro Football Archives.

www.profootballarchives.com

Larry Whigham - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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March 13, 2001:

Thomas, Whigham terminated

Long-time special teams standout Larry Whigham and defensive tackle Henry Thomas had their contracts terminated by the Patriots late Tuesday.

www.patriots.com

Long-time special teams standout Larry Whigham and defensive tackle Henry Thomas had their contracts terminated by the Patriots late Tuesday. In addition, the team re-signed exclusive rights free agent Garrett Johnson and waived wide receiver Tony Hamler.​

A reserve safety for seven seasons in New England, Whigham had 120 career tackles, including 88 solo stops and five sacks. His main role was as a special teams gunner. Whigham had 97 special teams tackles. He was voted the AFC Special Teams Player of the Year in 1996 and then earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 1997.​

Originally a fourth-round draft pick for Seattle in 1994, the Northeast Louisiana product had four interceptions and deflected 10 passes for the Patriots. Three of his picks came against future Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino.​

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Whigham was also a clutch player for the Patriots. In the AFC Championship game against Jacksonville on Jan. 12, 1997 he tackled Jaguar punter Brian Barker at the 4-yard line. The play set up a New England touchdown in the 20-6 win. Whigham had two years remaining on his contract.​