Today in Patriots History
Doug Beaudoin
Of all the May 15 Patriots birthdays, Doug Beaudoin was by far the most impactful.
Happy 67th birthday to Doug Beaudoin
Born May 15, 1954 in Dickinson, North Dakota
Patriot safety, 1976-1979; uniform #27
Pats 9th round (243rd overall) selection of the 1976 draft, from Minnesota
Doug Beaudoin played 45 games with 20 starts for the oh-so-close Patriots of the late seventies. In week 8 of '78 he intercepted two Bob Griese passes that led to touchdowns in a
33-24 win that put the Patriots in a first place tie with the Dolphins at 6-2. Injuries limited his playing time the following year, and he ended up playing with the Miami in '80, San Diego in '81, and then spent three seasons with Tampa in the USFL.
Former NFL Player: I Guarantee I Have CTE
Defensive back Doug Beaudoin was a ninth-round draft pick out of the University of Minnesota in 1976. Beaudoin played with the Patriots through 1979, with the Dolphins in 1980 and with the Chargers in 1981. From 1983 to 1986 he played with the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits, and Beaudoin now lives in the Tampa area where he works in sales for the FX Marketing Group. He is one of the more than 4,500 former NFL players who filed suit against the league over concussions and other head injuries.
Nobody was challenging Doug Beaudoin to a friendly game of anything back in 1971. Unless, of course, said challenger was up for a butt whooping. "I could beat just about anybody at anything," Beaudoin said. "Skiing, golf, pingpong. Whatever you w...
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Beaudoin, a 1972 JHS graduate, was named North Dakota High School Athlete of the Year in '71 after leading the Blue Jays to an 8-1 record in football, a 22-5 mark in basketball and placing second in the Class A state long jump competition. Beaudoin would become a four-year starter at safety in the NCAA's Big Ten Conference for Minnesota, and in 1976 he was drafted by the New England Patriots in the ninth round of a then 17-round NFL Draft—the same draft in which New England selected future NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Mike Haynes fifth overall.
Nobody was challenging Doug Beaudoin to a friendly game of anything back in 1971. Unless, of course, said challenger was up for a butt whooping. "I could beat just about anybody at anything," Beaudoin said. "Skiing, golf, ping pong. Whatever ...
Beaudoin played seven seasons in the NFL, five for New England and making stops in Miami and San Diego in '80 and '81, respectively. Beaudoin recorded four interceptions during his NFL run, but was hampered throughout his professional career by an injury suffered during his senior track season at Jamestown High.
"I'll never forget it," Beaudoin said. "We were running the 440 relay in Valley City and it was about 30 degrees and sleeting. I took the baton for the home stretch, probably ran about 30 yards, and my hamstring snapped. I was probably never the same after that."
The born athlete said his time in the 40-yard dash fell from approximately 4.40 to 4.60, and hamstring issues would cloud weeks of strong play on the gridiron even as Beaudoin ascended to the sport's highest level. His New England teammate in the secondary, Mike Haynes, brought up Beaudoin's injury-prone legs while the two shared a moment in Canton, Ohio, in 1987.
Haynes was getting his call to the NFL Hall of Fame.
"We were sitting there and I was congratulating him on his Hall of Fame career, and he said, "You know what, Doug? If not for your hamstrings, you'd probably be sitting here too," Beaudoin recalled.
Doug finished his pro football career with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL in 1985. He remained in the area, and is now the VP of Sales and Entertainment for the FX Marketing Group in Tampa.
Jeff Boschee, Whitney Carlson Bruins, Doug Beaudoin, and Mike Peluso will be enshrined into the North Dakota Sports Hall of Fame this summer in Jamestown.
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