Today in Patriots History
Old May 30 Trivialities
May 30, 1960:
The Boston Patriots sign RB
Richard Blakely
The running back from Minnesota had been a 26th round (304th overall) selection by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1957 NFL draft. **** Blakely did not survive roster cuts and returned to his hometown of St Paul, Minnesota. After serving in the military he spent most of his adult life working for Northern States Power Company (now XCel Energy). Blakely passed away in 2011 at the age of 76.
The event was organized to honor the athletes and help connect younger generations of alumni athletes with their predecessors.
mndaily.com
View Richard I. Blakley's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.
www.legacy.com
May 30, 1964:
The Patriots trade their 1965 tenth round draft pick to Buffalo for
Mack Yoho
This was a trade that makes no sense to me, as the Patriots were set at kicker with
Gino Cappelletti as well as defensive end, with
Larry Eisenhauer and
Bob Dee. In the days of a 34-man roster limit, perhaps the thought was to get a player that could backup two positions?
Mack Yoho had been the starting left defensive end for the Bills in the first four seasons of their existence. Prior to that he was All-Mac while playing at Miami of Ohio under coach Ara Parseghian when the Redhawks went undefeated (9-0) in 1955. He also played for the Ottawa Rough Riders in the CFL before the formation of the AFL. Yoho never played for the Pats, later becoming defensive line coach and then head coach at Yale. Yoho began a successful career as a banker in New Haven, later taking more prominent positions in the industry in Rochester MN and San Francisco. He passed away in 2020 at the age of 84.
Mack Yoho, a 2010 Miami Athletics Hall of Famer recently passed away.
miamiredhawks.com
OXFORD, Ohio -- NFL veteran and East Canton native Mack Yoho was inducted into Miami University's Athletic Hall of Fame during a halftime ceremony in Oxford, Ohio on Saturday when his alma mater play…
www.the-review.com
Mack Junior Yoho was born in Reader, West Virginia and was the third of eight children. He is predeceased by his parents, Olive and Stanley Yoho, and his wife, Julia Strong Yoho. He leaves his longtime companion, LaNei Cross, and his children, Kelly (Dina) Yoho, Julie Williams, and Elizabeth...
rosefamilyfuneralhome.com
May 30, 1980:
Patriots re-sign second year DE
Mark Buben
After an
outstanding collegiate career at Tufts, the Methuen MA native remained local and joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 1979. He made the roster his rookie season as a backup defensive end and special teams player, appearing in all sixteen games. After spending all of 1980 on injured reserve, Buben again appeared in all 16 games, this time with four starts. His
49-yard interception return was a key play in New England’s week 5 victory over the Chiefs, one of the few bright spots of that
disappointing season for the Patriots.
Buben signed with the Browns in 1982 and then
played in the USFL for four years. He still holds
single season and career school records at Tufts for sacks.
Other than his 49-yard pick, Mark Buben has another claim to fame - or infamy - in Patriots history. In 1981 he made the roster over a 1980 third round draft pick by the name of Steve McMichael. "Mongo" signed with Chicago and went on to have a 15-year NFL career, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024. Buben's NFL career was quite a bit shorter: 35 games, with four starts.
Mark Buben is also the only person from Tufts to play in the National Football League in the last fifty years.
Jumbos to play 1,000th game on October 14
tuftsjournal.tufts.edu
May 30, 1980:
Patriots sign second year free agent TE
Paul Ricker
Paul Ricker, Class: 1979 Induction: 1994 Sport(s): Football - One of the finest players ever to wear a football uniform at Norwich University, Paul Ricker is one
norwichathletics.com
One of the finest players ever to wear a football uniform at Norwich University, Paul Ricker is one of two inductees this evening who went on to have successful careers in professional sports after receiving degrees from Norwich.
Paul was a starting tight end for the NU football team during three winning seasons from 1976 to 1978. His collegiate coach, Barry Mynter calls him "the best tight end I ever had... He was bigger and faster than any kid we ever had at Norwich."
Ricker used his size and speed to earn a spot on the ECAC all-star team in both his junior and senior seasons. He finished his college career with 76 pass receptions for 1,430 yards and nine touchdowns while helping Norwich win 67 percent of its games in his three years as a starter.
View Paul Lloyd Ricker's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.
www.campbellfuneral.com
Born in Beverly, he was raised in Hamilton and graduated from the Hamilton-Wenham High School, class of 1975 where he was an outstanding athlete. He played hockey, football, basketball, and baseball and was most recently inducted into the High School’s Hall of Fame, Class of 2016.
Mr. Ricker continued on to play football professionally in both the USFL and NFL. As one of George Allen’s most prized players he shined in the USFL. In 1983 he played for the Chicago Blitz, catching 39 passes for 493 yards. At the time, ABC Sports remarked, “Ricker blossomed into one of the Blitz’ top receivers…making Blitz fans quickly forget UCLA All American Tim Wightman.” In 1984 Allen would then take him to the Arizona Wranglers where he caught 39 for 514 yards, helping lead his team all the way to the USFL Championship Game against the Philadelphia Stars, in Tampa Bay, FL.
His NFL career started with setbacks having been twice cut by the New England Patriots in 1979 and 1980. But as many national news publications of the time put it, it was simply due to “the numbers game.” As a testament to his talent, he was the last man cut each time being beaten out only by none other than the legendary Russ Francis and Don Hasselbeck respectively. He would later receive many letters from prominent camps including offers to play with the Buffalo Bills. But as any proud New Englander would, Paul held out, finally being signed by the New England Patriots in 1985 as a Free Agent. He played the entire preseason with the infamous super bowl team only succumbing once again to the raw numbers game, as he was the last man cut prior to the start of the season.
View Paul L. Ricker's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.
www.legacy.com
Active in the community, he was a member of the Hamilton Board of Public Works for five years and a member of the Board of Selectman for three. It was as a Selectman that he was able to bring affordable housing to Hamilton and was also instrumental in bringing the Council on Aging van to town, helping Senior Citizens, and construction of the new Public Library. He cared very deeply for his community and considered Public service to be one of the highest honors. Mr. Ricker owned and operated a family business, G.H. Ricker, Inc. in Hamilton for many years and it will continue to operate, serving as a legacy of his hard work and dedication to serving and helping others. A lifelong resident of the Town of Hamilton, he was a member of the Sons of the American Legion and coached Basketball, Football, and Baseball for the youth in town for many years.
May 30, 1992:
The Patriots re-sign DT
Tim Edwards
I'm not sure if this date is correct; under transactions it is May 30, but in his bio it is May 20. Either way, Edwards was a 12th round pick in 1991, released at the end of preseason and the spending his entire rookie year on the practice squad. He played in 14 games with one start for **** MacPherson's sad 2-14 '92 team, then was waived by Bill Parcells as part of the 1993 roster cuts. Edwards finished his pro football career playing in 26 games for the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1995-96. He began his lengthy coaching career later that same year, and has been the defensive line coach at the University of Memphis since 2019.
Tim Edwards joined the University of Memphis as its defensive line coach in February of 2019. The Delta State University graduate has more than 20 years coac...
gotigersgo.com
