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Today in Patriots History
Jim Whalen
Jim Whalen
In memory of Jim Whalen, who would have turned 82 today
Born May 20, 1943 in Cambridge
Died December 18, 2012 at the age of 69 in Gloucester
Patriot tight end, 1965-1969; uniform #82
Pats third round (23rd overall) selection of the 1965 AFL draft, from Boston College
Pats résumé: five seasons, all 70 games (48 starts); 153 receptions for 2,487 yards (16.3 ypc), 17 TD; All-AFL, All-Pro, 1968; Pats All-1960s Team
Jim Whalen was a local guy, a graduate of Cambridge Latin and Boston College. At the time he was the number one pass receiver in BC history with 73 receptions. Jim was an excellent all-around athlete, lettering in both hockey and baseball as well as football for the Eagles.
July 18, 1969: Pats receivers Jim Whalen, Art Graham, and Barry Gallup all hailed from BC
During his five years with the Pats he led the team in receptions (153) and receiving yards (2,487). In 1968 Whalen was the team's MVP, a consensus all-league selection and led the Patriots in receptions (47), receiving yards (718) and touchdowns (7). That marked the first time a Patriot was a first team All-Pro, sharing the position with Baltimore legend John Mackey. Jim Whalen is a deserving member of the Patriots All-Decade Team for the 1960s, and as a bit of trivia he is the only person to catch three touchdowns in a game at Alumni Stadium at both the college level and pro level.
In one of his many foolish moves, on April 14, 1970, Clive Rush traded 26-year old Jim Whalen to Denver for Tom Beer in an attempt to get bulkier at the tight end position. Rather than this being a win-win it was a lose-lose deal for both players and teams, and Rush was fired midway through the season. Whalen retired after the 1971 season.
Jim Whalen, 69; tight end for Boston College and Boston Patriots
Jim Whalen never caught a pass while playing high school football, but once he was moved to tight end the first day of practice at Boston College in 1961, his career took off. A two-time All-East selection, Mr. Whalen was chosen for the 1965 Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Game, and played...
www.boston.com
When Jim Whalen was a three-sport athlete at what was then Cambridge High and Latin School, he liked to talk with John “Snooks” Kelley, a social studies teacher who also was Boston College’s hockey coach. He visited the campus with Kelley and was awarded a partial athletic scholarship.
Mr. Whalen never caught a pass while playing high school football, but once he was moved to tight end the first day of practice at BC in 1961, his college career took off.
A two-time All-East selection, Mr. Whalen was chosen for the 1965 Senior Bowl and the East-West Shrine Game, and he went on to play professionally for seven seasons, the first five with the Boston Patriots.
Jim Whalen:
Despite playing his entire career during the shorter 14-game season and largely for teams that ranked at or near the bottom in passing, Whalen's accomplishments still compare favorably in today's offense-oriented game. He is one of only four Patriot tight ends (Russ Francis, Ben Coates and Rob Gronkowski) to string together three consecutive seasons of 500+ yards receiving (he had another with the Denver Broncos), and one of only three (Coates, Gronkowski) to record 650+ yards in back-to-back seasons. Additionally, Whalen's Patriot career yards per reception average of 16.3 ranks first among all Patriot tight ends and sixth all-time among all Patriot receivers, wide outs included (minimum of 150 career receptions).
His career average of 16.0 per catch (inclusive of his time with the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles) as a tight end is outstanding and ranks in the top ten in the history of professional football (minimum of 150 receptions). Five of Whalen's 20 career touchdowns were for 40 or more yards. Whalen still also holds the Patriots tight end records for longest reception (87 yards), longest touchdown reception (87 yards) and most touchdown receptions in a single game (3, tied with Gronk).
Furthermore, Whalen protected the ball exceptionally well, fumbling just twice in his career. Through the end of the 2010 season, only one tight end in history (Andrew Glover) had fewer career fumbles than Whalen while catching as many passes.
Had a career game high of 134 yards receiving (against the Miami Dolphins in 1967), and is one of only five Patriot tight ends (Coates, Hasselbeck, Gronkowski and Hernandez) to record at least four career 100 yard receiving games.
Whalen's accomplishments also compare favorably to those of his peers during his time in professional football. The All AFL Hall-Of-Fame, First Team All-1960's Team tight end is Fred Arbanas. Catching passes from Hall-Of-Fame quarterback Len Dawson, Arbanas caught 198 balls for 3,101 yards, a career 15.7 yards per catch average, 34 touchdowns while fumbling 4 times in 118 games. Whalen's career line is 197 catches for 3,155 yards, a career 16.0 yards per catch average, 20 touchdowns while fumbling twice in 89 games. By comparison, during his career Whalen caught touchdown passes from Babe Parilli, Don Trull, Mike Taliaferro, Tom Sherman and Pete Liske. He also lined up with Steve Tensi, Alan Pastrana, Steve Ramsey and Don Horn in the quarterback position.
Fenway Park Diaries -- Jim Whalen
James Francis "Jim" Whalen, Jr, grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was a three-sport star at Cambridge and Latin High School, in football, baseball and ice hockey and was subsequently inducted into the Cambridge Rindge and Latin Athletic Hall of Fame.
He was considered one of the finest pass catchers and all-around athletes to graduate from Boston College. At the time of his graduation after the 1964 season, he was the top pass receiver in Boston College history with 73 career receptions. In addition to being one of the top ends in the country, he was called upon to also punt his senior season.
During his tenure at BC, he also lettered in baseball and ice hockey in addition to football The 1963, 1964 and 1965 BC Eagles hockey teams won the Beanpot Tournament while the 1963 and 1965 teams each reached the national Frozen Four.
Although being recruited by teams from the National Hockey League as well as from others in Major League Baseball, Jim chose football and signed with the Boston Patriots, who had drafted him with the 23rd overall pick in 1965.
in 1967, his 651 receiving yards was tops among all Patriot receivers and his five receiving touchdowns also topped the squad. On October 15, 1967, he tied the Patriots record of three touchdowns in a single game, during a 41-10 thrashing of the Miami Dolphins.
In 1968 his 47 catches and seven touchdowns as a tight end, each led the AFL and ranked second among all AFL and NFL tight ends. He also piled up 718 receiving yards ranking second among AFL tight ends. His 87-yard pass reception on a against the Super Bowl Champion New York Jets was at the time, the longest play from scrimmage in Patriots history and also one of the longest by a tight end in professional football history.
For his accomplishments, he would be accorded First Team All-Pro, marking the first time that any Patriots receiver, tight end or otherwise, would be selected First Team All-Pro.
He had a career game high eight receptions against the Oakland Raiders on October 6, 1968. It would be over 25 years until another Patriot tight end, Ben Coates, would exceed both his receptions per scheduled game. He led the Patriots in both touchdowns and total yards from scrimmage (718) in 1968. It was the first of only two seasons in Patriots history, that a tight end would lead the club in yards from scrimmage.
He was one of only four Patriot tight ends (Russ Francis, Ben Coates and Rob Gronkowski) to string together three consecutive seasons of 500+ yards receiving. Additionally, his Patriot career yards per reception average of 16.3 ranked first among all Patriot tight ends and sixth all-time among all Patriot receivers.
After his playing days were over, he kept a low profile for the most part, working in contractor sales at the Danvers Home Depot.
He had several heart attacks, lung cancer, and had been living with two completely collapsed vertebrae. Jim Whalen died on December 18, 2012 in Gloucester, after a long bout with the his health problems.
One-of-these-does-not-belong-with-the-others
Tom Sherman, Houston Antwine, Jim Whalen and Clive Rush hold awards at the "Hail the Patriot's" awards dinner in Boston, Feb. 6, 1969
In memoriam: Hands, speed made Gloucester resident Whalen a classic Patriot
Jim Whalen, a former Boston Patriots tight end (he holds that position on the Patriots’ All-1960s team), died on Dec. 18 after a long bout with various health problems.
www.wickedlocal.com
Jim Whalen Career Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Get Jim Whalen Career game log for regular season and playoff games on Pro-football-reference.com.
www.pro-football-reference.com
Pro Football Archives -- Jim Whalen Player Profile
Pro Football Archives -- Jim Whalen Transactions
Jim Whalen - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
