Today In Patriots History May 30, 2012: 7th round rookie draft pick pleads not guilty to felony assault on cop

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Not a good start to
your pro football career​

May 30, 2012:
Alfonzo Dennard pleads not guilty to charges of third-degree felony assault.


Dennard had earned Second Team All Big-Team honors his junior year, then First Team All Big-Ten honors and Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year as a corner during his senior year at Nebraska. At that point he was projected to be selected within the first three rounds of the 2012 NFL draft, which took place on April 26-28.

That all changed when he was charged with punching a police officer in an incident outside a Lincoln, Nebraska bar on April 21, just five days before the draft. He was charged with third-degree felony assault of a police officer and resisting arrest, which led to this May 30 court appearance. The damage was done though, as he was drafted 224th overall, much closer to the last pick of the draft (253) than somewhere in the top 100.

OTA's began the next day, and Dennard was there, on time. He had three interceptions as a rookie, starting with a pick off Mark Sanchez in a 29-26 win over the Jets, and later an 87-yard pick-six off Andrew Luck in a 59-24 rout over the Colts.

He began 2014 as corner opposite Darrelle Revis, winning the starting job over Logan Ryan and Kyle Arrington. But throughout his time with the Patriots Dennard had recurring knee and hamstring issues (a problem since college), and finished that Super Bowl year on injured reserve. 'Fonzie' was waived in May and claimed by Arizona, but never played in the NFL again.


This 2012 arrest was not the only instance of impeccably bad timing by Dennard. In 2013 he was arrested for a DUI - just 15 days after Aaron Hernandez had been waived after being arrested and charged with murder. At the time I figured the Pats would release Dennard as well, but he somehow managed to stick around, perhaps being aided by the fact that everybody's focus was solely on AH's murder spree.

 

[jmt57]

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.

Black U athletes young and old reunite on campus

The event was organized to honor the athletes and help connect younger generations of alumni athletes with their predecessors.

mndaily.com

Richard Blakley Obituary (2011) - St. Paul, MN - Pioneer Press

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.

Hall of Famer, Mack Yoho Passes Away - Miami University RedHawks

Mack Yoho, a 2010 Miami Athletics Hall of Famer recently passed away.

miamiredhawks.com

EC's Yoho joins Miami U hall of fame

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

Obituary of Mack Junior Yoho | Rose Family Funeral Home & Cremation

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.


Quote from AQPE in a previous entry about Mark Buben that is worth repeating:

I met Buben when I was a freshman at Tufts. Off the field he was a super nice guy, very humble and well spoken.​

On the field he was extremely good as you’d expect against DIII competition. Generally he would line up at DT, in the gap between their center and LG. It was normal for him to be triple teamed with the OC, LG and FB, but he still led NESCAC in tackles for loss and pressures. If we had any other decent DL it would have been hard to run against us but the better teams (Williams and Amherst) knew they could keep pounding Bubes and running stretch plays or “22” alignment and get enough yards/play to keep him on the field for long drives.​

Tufts Journal: Features: Gridiron history

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 (1994) - Hall of Fame - Norwich University

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.​

Obituary information for Paul Lloyd Ricker

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.​

Paul Ricker Obituary (2017) - Hamilton, MA - Chronicle & Transcript

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 - Assistant Coach / Defensive Line - Football Coaches - University of Memphis Athletics

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

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
News from the Aughts​

May 30, 2000:
Patriots waive J'Juan Cherry

The Arizona State cornerback was selected by the Pats in the 4th round of the 1999 Supplemental Draft. The team forfeited their 2000 fourth round pick in order to draft him. The Patriots were the only team to exercise the option to take a player in the Supplemental Draft, which did not take place until September 3 - meaning Cherry had missed the entire offseason, from OTAs to training camp to preseason games. Cherry was activated to the 53-man roster on September 20 and was inactive for the next three games. He was then active but did not play in week six and seven, then after two weeks of watching from the sideline was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury on October 27. Other than a 1999 team picture, you will be hard pressed to find a photograph of J'Juan in his #32 Pats jersey.

Cherry waived

Following allegations of assault stemming from a bar fight, cornerback J'Juan Cherry was waived by the New England Patriots Tuesday morning.

www.patriots.com

Following allegations of assault stemming from a bar fight, cornerback J'Juan Cherry was waived by the New England Patriots Tuesday morning.

Belichick gets second chance

New Patriots coach Bill Belichick -- finally out of Bill Parcells' shadow -- can be found smiling these days, writes ESPN's Greg Garber.

a.espncdn.com

He has wasted little time in asserting his authority over a team that was adrift. Bobby Grier is no longer the personnel authority. Belichick, who fired him, is. The free ride is over and the players know it. The season will be longer and the work days harder. Job security? Outside of quarterback Drew Bledsoe and defensive end Willie McGinest, there's no such thing.​

What is the players' perception of Belichick?​

"I don't know," Belichick says. "You'll have to ask them."​

What about it, Troy Brown?​

"Man, we've released guys already," says the wide receiver. "I think guys got the message right away that this is not a game. It's your job now.​

"You have to go out and take it serious. [Players] are sitting on pins and needles, not wanting to mess up."​

The departure of defensive back J'Juan Cherry got the players' attention. Belichick cut him after an incident in a Boston bar. The Patriots ate his $178,000 salary cap number.​

Was Belichick sending a message?​

It's a shame about Ray

He wasn't a big-name star who was going to be an impact player for the Patriots, but J'Juan Cherry was made an example of by Bill Belichick, falling victim to the kind of discipline Belichick is bringing to New England.​

Cherry, a cornerback whom the Patriots spent a fourth-round pick to acquire from the supplemental draft, recently allegedly hit a patron over the head with a beer bottle at a Boston bar and a friend he was with was stabbed as they left.​

Boston police didn't charge Cherry with anything, but it was clear his involvement in such an incident was not tolerable by the Patriots.​

"It wasn't going to work out," Belichick said. "This wasn't just one specific event, it was a series of things that led us to this decision."​

Belichick wouldn't elaborate on the other things that led to Cherry's release, but it's clear he won't tolerate needless off-field incidents.​

"Guys have a serious outlook a whole lot earlier than we did last year," Patriots special teamer Larry Whigham said. "The message we're getting is it's his way or the highway. By this time, if you're not doing it his way, you're on the plane leaving for somewhere else."​

Pats linebacker Chris Slade said, "He's the boss. He lets it be known by those types of moves."​

From Sept 28, 1997:
Sun Devils and Huskies Square Off in Seattle

CB J'Juan Cherry has a family lineage that includes his brother, Jerod, who was a defensive back at California; a cousin, Khalid Shabazz, who currently plays in the backfield at Cal; a cousin, Kwame Ellis, who is a defensive back at Stanford; and an uncle, Deron Cherry, played 11 seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs ...​

From May 13, 2003:

Looking ahead

With 8 picks in the first four rounds, the Patriots are already set up to get some of the top talent in the 2004 NFL draft.

www.patriots.com

Former Patriots cornerback J'Juan Cherry, the brother of current Patriots special teams player Je'Rod Cherry, has been allocated to the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe.​

May 30, 2001:
Emarlos Leroy is released due to a failed physical

The Pats had claimed Leroy off waivers from Jacksonville on May 24. The defensive tackle was a sixth round draft pick in 1999 out of Georgia, and played in 22 games for the Jags in 1999-2000 with one start. He later signed with Carolina but did not make their roster either. He later worked as a football, basketball, and track coach at a Jacksonville high school.

24th annual Albany Sports Hall of Fame induction: Emarlos Leroy





May 30, 2002:
The Patriots re-sign free agent LB Marty Moore

The last pick of the 1994 draft not only became the first Mr. Irrelevant to start in his NFL debut, he played in 112 NFL games and has a ring from Super Bowl 36. Moore did not make the 2002 roster as he was still recovering from an Achilles injury suffered during the previous season.

'Mr. Irrelevant' Marty Moore a Major Success Story for Patriots - NESN.com

A first-class flight to Los Angeles. A welcoming party equipped with signs, balloons and plenty of pizazz. A banquet held at an Orange County yacht club dedicated strictly to you. Even your own parade at Disneyland. It sounds like a week fit for a king. But in actuality, it's a week fit for the...

nesn.com

Then, when Todd Collins got hurt early in the year, Moore became the Patriots' starting weak inside linebacker — in the process, becoming the first Mr. Irrelevant in history to start a game as a rookie. He would eventually become the first Mr. Irrelevant to play in the Super Bowl (the Patriots' loss to the Packers) and the first Mr. Irrelevant to win a ring (the Pats' victory over the Rams).​

May 30, 2002:
Pats re-sign veteran free agent G Rich Tylski
He would leave them team and retire at the start of camp on July 29, then unretire two years later to play for Carolina.

Patriots Guard Rich Tylski Retires

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The New England Patriots announced that veteran offensive guard Rich Tylski has left the team and plans to retire.

www.patriots.com

Veteran lineman Tylski back with Patriots

Free agent guard Rich Tylski, who began his professional career in New England, may now end it there as well.

a.espncdn.com

Free agent guard Rich Tylski, who began his professional career in New England, may now end it there as well.​

A six-year veteran who was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this spring, Tylski has signed a one-year contract with the Super Bowl champion Patriots. He began his NFL career with the Pats in 1994, signed as an undrafted college free agent from Utah State.​

Tylski, 31, signed for a base salary of $650,000, the league minimum for a player of his tenure. Because of a new rule this year, which provides teams a cap break when they sign a veteran to a minimum base-salary deal, Tylski will count only $450,000 against the New England salary cap for 2002.​

He is joining his fourth different team, after spending much of his career in Jacksonville, and provides the Patriots with experienced depth behind incumbents Joe Andruzzi and Mike Compton. In a pinch, Tylski can also play center.​

The addition of Tylski, who started 26 of a possible 32 games for the Steelers over the last two seasons, is a typical acquisition for the Patriots, who are well poised again to bring in veteran depth in the post-June 1 free agent market. The Pats fattened the roster in 2001 with similar acquisitions, players who still had good football left in them, but in whom the club invested only modest salaries.​

"They like to have veterans around here, guys who know the ropes, so I think that it's a good fit for me and for them," said Tylski, who in recent weeks fielded overtures about possibly re-signing with Pittsburgh for a salary significantly less than the $975,000 he was to have earned before his release. "It's a really solid atmosphere."​

For his career, Tylski has played in 80 games and started 62 of them. He suffered through an injury-plagued '01 season, starting 10 games, and became expendable when Pittsburgh matched an offer sheet to restricted free agent guard Oliver Ross and used its first-round draft choice on Auburn offensive lineman Kendall Simmons.​

Tylski spent time on the Patriots practice squad in 1994 ,was claimed on waivers by the Jaguars the following season and spent four full years in Jacksonville before signing with the Steelers as an unrestricted free agent in 2000.​

Also the Patriots re-signed linebacker Marty Moore, 31, who has 175 tackles and 110 special teams tackles in eight seasons. He was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 2 with a heel injury. Terms of Moore's deal were not released by the team.​

Former Jaguars player, his wife, can't take back guilty plea in abuse case

Despite their 2008 admissions to a judge, former Jaguar Rich Tylski and his wife adamantly denied the child abuse Wednesday that earned Jane Tylski a felony conviction and ended the couple's parental…

www.staugustine.com

Ex-Jaguar, wife, ordered to pay child abuse victim $1.25M

Former Jaguar Rich Tylski and his wife have been ordered to pay $1.25 million to cover medical and counseling costs of the former adopted daughter they abused. Circuit Judge Hugh Carithers found a …

www.jacksonville.com

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
News from the 2010s​

May 30, 2013:
Jerry Jones leaks the Dallas draft board to a Cowboys fan site on SB Nation called Blogging the Boys. This created a bit of a buzz on the internet not for what player was rated where, but because NFL teams have always been extremely secretive about their draft and scouting process.

Dallas Cowboys 2013 Draft Board Leaked: All Seven Rounds!

Have you been wondering what the Cowboys most recent draft board looked like? Well wonder no further, because once again the board has been leaked and BTB has every player, slotted just as they were in the Cowboys’ war room!

www.bloggingtheboys.com

Dallas Cowboys' draft board exposed - ESPN

The would happen to camera-lusting Jerrah in 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2022:

Internet sleuths cracked the Cowboys' draft board for the 4th time since 2010

How does this keep happening to Jerry Jones and Dallas?

sports.yahoo.com

From the viewpoint of a Patriots fan, it is interesting to see how Dallas ranked players in comparison to where Patriots players were drafted.

Dallas Cowboys had a 5th-round grade on Aaron Dobson; left Duron Harmon off draft board

LB Jamie Collins, second round: The Cowboys had Collins listed as a defensive end and placed him in the third round. This doesn't seem to out of line with how many viewed Collins, since the general consensus is that the Patriots reached a little bit to grab him.​

WR Aaron Dobson, second round: Dallas, surprisingly, had Dobson as a fifth-round talent. While there have been some questions about his hands during organized team activities, that ranking seems quite low. The feeling here is that Dobson was picked right where he should have been.​

CB Logan Ryan, third round: Not a shock here that the Cowboys have Ryan, who was considered a bit of a reach, with a lower grade. However, placing him in the fifth round seems a little rough. The Cowboys had other corners, such as Will Davis and B.W. Webb, who were drafted after Ryan ranked ahead of him.​

S Duron Harmon, third round: Perhaps the most controversial pick in the draft, Harmon was not on Dallas' draft board.​

WR Josh Boyce, fourth round: The Patriots and Cowboys agree on this one.​

DE Michael Buchanan, seventh round: The Cowboys actually had Buchanan in the fourth. Many agree that if not for character concerns, Buchanan would have gone much higher. A possible steal here if Buchanan keeps his head on straight.​

May 30, 2014:
New England meets with former Green Bay TE Jermichael Finley, the 27-year old veteran free agent, for a medical visit and workout.

The Patriots were still attempting to fill a void at tight end after Aaron Hernandez' arrest and release one year earlier. In week 7 of the 2013 season Finley suffered a bruised spinal cord, after making a reception and colliding helmet to helmet with his defender. He was immediately paralyzed and had minimal feeling in his legs and was taken to the ICU of a Green Bay hospital. Finley began regaining the ability to move his extremities the following day and was later diagnosed with a spinal cord contusion after examinations from specialists.

The Packers did not attempt to re-sign Finley once he became a free agent, and he spoke with the Patriots (who did not make an offer), Steelers (Finley considered their offer too low) and Seattle (with whom he failed a physical). Finley finished his six-year NFL career with 223 receptions for 2,785 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Patriots check out Jermichael Finley - ESPN

The free-agent tight end visited the New England Patriots last Friday, according to ESPN's Adam Caplan. The trip to Foxborough came less than a week after Finley was in Green Bay to check in with the Packers' team doctors.​

The Patriots' interest in Finley makes sense. Tight end Rob Gronkowski is coming off ACL reconstruction. The other tight ends on their roster are former Packers draft pick D.J. Williams, Michael Hoomanawanui and rookies Justin Jones and Asa Watson.​

May 30, 2018:
Kobe Bryant stops by practice to visit with Bill Belichick and Patriot players.

Kobe Bryant pays unexpected visit to New England Patriots practice

The five-time NBA champion and retired Los Angeles Lakers star chatted with players and posed for photos after the Patriots' practice session ended.

www.usatoday.com

Kobe Bryant Visits Patriots At OTAs In Foxboro

Bryant was a guest at Wednesday's OTA practice session at Gillette Stadium, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss.

www.cbsnews.com

Kobe Bryant attends Patriots practice

The former Los Angeles Laker visited with the team and took pictures with players including Stephon Gilmore and Cody Hollister.

www.boston.com

The Patriots had a famous visitor at their OTA session Wednesday: Kobe Bryant.​

The former Los Angeles Laker visited with the team and took pictures with players including Stephon Gilmore, Cody Hollister, and Eric Rowe.​

A few fans on social media were quick to point out that a visit from Bryant would seem to qualify as “fun,’’ which former Patriots linebacker/defensive end Cassius Marsh recently said the team “never’’ has.​

​

Inside the meeting room when Kobe Bryant visited the Patriots

Players recall Kobe Bryant's message poignantly: Bill Belichick told ESPN's Field Yates that in his 45 years of coaching in the NFL, he had never witnessed a group as captivated as the Patriots on the day Kobe Bryant addressed the team in May 2018. In the aftermath of Bryant's death, along with those of his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash last Sunday, many players have reminisced about the experience.​

Part of what made it special for some was the surprise nature of it. Everyone was gathering in the team meeting room when Belichick stepped to the fore.​

"In his normal tone of voice, he told us that he had a guest, a friend. Coach Belichick was really good about bringing in cool guests that you would want to listen to, but this one, I don't think anyone was expecting at all. When Kobe walked through the door, I remember everyone gasping. 'Is this really Kobe? What's going on here?' Everyone kind of freaked out," recalled offensive lineman Jason King, who spent parts of the 2017 and 2018 seasons with the team.​

"It's a really cool feeling to see a bunch of professional athletes, especially some of the really successful, great players on that team, and how they kind of turn into the 12-year-old fan they were just signing autographs for. It's just that level of respect everyone had for him."​

Linebacker Marquis Flowers, a six-year NFL veteran who is a die-hard Lakers fan, used to spark debates in the Patriots' locker room about the greatest NBA player of all time, always vouching for Bryant. He described the surreal nature of the day.​

"Incredible. Everyone was kind of in a shocked mode," said Flowers, reflecting on how Bryant entered from the back of the room as part of the surprise. "His mentality, the way he explained it to us, how he prepares, plays, and tries to dominate his opponent; I was sitting there and thinking, 'This is for sure Kobe. This isn't fake.'"​

Bryant's message resonated, and included thoughts that hit home to players based on how his life ended.​

May 30, 2019:
New Patriot WR Demaryius Thomas shares details of his Feb 16 rollover crash.

Patriots wide receiver Demaryius Thomas opened up about his February car accident

Patriots wide receiver Demaryius Thomas told TMZ Sports he is “still going through stuff” after a Feb. 16 single-vehicle accident in which he flipped his car while driving with two passengers in Denver. “I wake up every morning and thank the lord above,” Thomas said. “And, just thankful for just...

www.boston.com

Patriots wide receiver Demaryius Thomas told TMZ Sports he is “still going through stuff” after a Feb. 16 single-vehicle accident in which he flipped his car while driving with two passengers in Denver.​

“I wake up every morning and thank the lord above,” Thomas said. “And, just thankful for just not even just being able to do what I do — being able to talk, walk, eat, all those things that we forget about on a daily basis.”​

According to a Denver news station, Thomas was arrested and charged with vehicular assault on Feb. 28. Police said he was driving 70 miles per hour in a 30 m.p.h. zone prior to the accident, which injured him and two passengers. Thomas was left with only minor injuries, but one passenger was described as having “serious bodily injuries” as a result.​

​

“I could have been gone,” Thomas said.​

The 31-year-old veteran played for the Broncos his entire career before he was traded to the Texans in 2018. The Patriots signed Thomas to a one-year contract in April.​

Thomas is currently recovering from a torn Achilles, an injury he sustained before the accident. He started 15 games between Denver and Houston in 2018, recording 59 receptions, five touchdowns, and 677 yards along the way.​

According to ESPN, Thomas pleaded guilty to careless driving resulting in injury on March 27.​

After being inactive in week one of the 2019 season, the Patriots traded Thomas to the Jets for a 2021 sixth round draft pick. He died at the age of 33 in 2021 after a seizure that has been allegedly tied to football injuries. He finished his NFL career with 724 receptions for 9,763 yards and 63 touchdowns. The five-time Pro Bowler ranks second in Denver Broncos franchise history for receiving yards and touchdown receptions, behind only Rod Smith.

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
News from the 2020s​

May 30, 2024:
New England signs their third round draft pick, OT Caeden Wallace, with the official announcement coming the following day.

Patriots announce signing of rookie OT Caedan Wallace

The New England Patriots made the signing of rookie third-round draft pick Caedan Wallace official on Friday. It marked the sixth signing for the team in a 2024 NFL draft class with eight rookie picks. Wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk and offensive guard Layden Robinson

patriotswire.usatoday.com

The New England Patriots made the signing of rookie third-round draft pick Caedan Wallace official on Friday.​

It marked the sixth signing for the team in a 2024 NFL draft class with eight rookie picks. Wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk and offensive guard Layden Robinson are the only players that have yet to sign their rookie contract.​

Wallace played right tackle throughout his college career at Penn State, but he's expected to move over to the left side as the Patriots' newest blindside protector. New England could really use a boost on the left side with veteran Trent Brown leaving in free agency.​

There are serious depth issues at the position, and instead of addressing the problem with longstanding left tackles, the Patriots are counting on either Wallace or former Pittsburgh Steelers right tackle Chuks Okorafor to make the jump.​

Wallace has experience playing left tackle in high school, and he practiced on that side of the line throughout college. So he isn't exactly new to the move. However, that still doesn't change the fact that his game experience at that position is limited, and the Patriots are basically rolling the dice in hopes that he figures it all out.​

File that 2024 plan for left tackle under 'anything that can possibly go wrong, will go wrong'.





May 30, 2020 articles and forum discussion:

Devin McCourty, Wife Michelle, Reveal Heartbreaking News Of Daughter's Passing | PatsFans.com

Devin and Michelle McCourty announce the passing of their daughter Mia over social media.

www.patsfans.com

Best Patriots teams to not win a title

Link: Ranking the best Patriots teams that didn't win Super Bowl Article says (in order) 2007, 2010, 2017, 2011, 1976 I would go in order something like 2007, 1976, 1996, 1985 despite the outcome of XX and then 2010 I guess.

www.patsfans.com

Thread 'Best Patriots teams to not win a title'

May 30, 2020

Link: Ranking the best Patriots teams that didn't win Super Bowl

Article says (in order) 2007, 2010, 2017, 2011, 1976

I would go in order something like 2007, 1976, 1996, 1985 despite the outcome of XX and then 2010 I guess.

• sb1
• Replies: 66
• Forum: PatsFans.com - Patriots Fan Forum

May 30, 2021 articles and forum discussion:

New England Patriots News 05-30, Football is Back as OTAs Begin | PatsFans.com

I’m excited to be a complete Patriot and what it means. It’s just such a winning culture, tradition here. There’s a high level of expectation

www.patsfans.com

Roster Moves: The Patriots made a few roster moves this week as the team released FB Dan Vitale and LB LaRoy Reynolds and signed TE Troy Fumagalli. The big (6’6, 248) tight end was a 5th round draft pick (156th overall) of the Broncos back in 2018. He’s played in 19 career games and has logged 14 catches for 118 yards and 2 TDs.

Vitale was signed in 2020 and was expected to replace James Develin. However, after he opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, his position with the club changed as Jakob Johnson took over the job.

Reynolds, 30, is an undersized (6’1, 228) linebacker/STs player who has played in 114 career games and has logged 65 tackles.

Mac Jones: The Patriots rookie QB got some favorable mentions by his new teammates. Mike Reiss of ESPN, reported that new WR Kendrick Bourne said of Jones, “He has a swag to him that I didn’t know that he had at first,” receiver Kendrick Bourne said.

“He’s out there confident, and that is what you need in a quarterback. Good energy, awesome guy, comes to work and you just can feel his energy and leadership already.”

“Mac’s doing a great job,” tight end Hunter Henry said. “We’re just all going through it together, him being even new to the atmosphere of this next level. Good to have him here, and we’re all excited for him.” More on Jones below…

I just read that the Cardinals are shopping Isabella for a low round pick.

I would be excited to have a Burner like Isabella here. I feel we could maximize his strengths and would much rather have him than Meyers or Harry thoughts? https://raisingzona.com/2021/05/10/andy-isabella-may-struggle-remain-arizona-cardinals/

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Thread 'I just read that the Cardinals are shopping Isabella for a low round pick.'

May 30, 2021

I would be excited to have a Burner like Isabella here.
I feel we could maximize his strengths and would much rather have him than Meyers or Harry thoughts?

Andy Isabella may struggle to remain with Arizona Cardinals

Third-year pass-catcher Andy Isabella may struggle to maintain a roster spot with the Arizona Cardinals organization in 2021

raisingzona.com

• Love The Drake
• Replies: 52
• Forum: PatsFans.com - Patriots Fan Forum

May 30, 2022 forum discussion:

The best-case scenario(s) for Bailey Zappe

Since we're in the doldrums of the offseason, let me ask this two-part question. I admit that they may have the same answer, but they probably don't. What is the best-case scenario for Zappe's development, as far as Zappe himself is concerned? Does he start? If so, when? Does he finish his...

www.patsfans.com

Thread 'The best-case scenario(s) for Bailey Zappe'

May 30, 2022

Since we're in the doldrums of the offseason, let me ask this two-part question. I admit that they may have the same answer, but they probably don't.

• What is the best-case scenario for Zappe's development, as far as Zappe himself is concerned? Does he start? If so, when? Does he finish his contract?
• And what's the best-case for Zappe's development as far as the Patriots are concerned, given that they have Mac Jones?

• ctpatsfan77
• Replies: 41
• Forum: PatsFans.com - Patriots Fan Forum

May 30, 2023 articles and forum discussion:

Tuesday Patriots Notebook 5/30: News and Notes | PatsFans.com

New England Patriots news and notes for Tuesday May 30, 2023.

www.patsfans.com

Could Hopkins Be a Patriot?​

After an offseason that seemingly mirrored similar posturing to what we’ve seen from San Francisco, the Arizona Cardinals joined the 49ers as losers when it came to DeAndre Hopkins.

Reports for most of the offseason had said the demands for Hopkins, at least as it pertained to trade compensation, were fairly high, with the Cardinals clearly standing their ground when it came to their demands. Obviously, the hope was that a team would potentially pay up to acquire the soon-to-be 31-year-old receiver.

Instead, nothing ever materialized, and like Jimmy Garoppolo in San Francisco, they ultimately parted ways with Hopkins last week. Now they’ll potentially end up with nothing to show for it.

The next question is obviously whether or not New England might be in the sweepstakes for his services, especially given the affinity Bill Belichick has for him based on what we saw in the Hard Knocks series this past season.

Mike Reiss referred to a past appearance on the “I Am Athlete” podcast in his Sunday column where Hopkins listed Josh Allen, Jalen Jurts, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Justin Herbert as the top five quarterbacks he’d like to play for, which could make joining the Patriots a longshot for a player who is on the backside of his career.

Still, there’s apparently a possibility Hopkins could stay in Arizona. As ProFootballTalk.com pointed out, no official transaction has come through from the NFL just yet thanks to the Memorial Day weekend holiday, which extended to a four-day break.

As a result, Mike Florio also highlighted that it’s possible that the Cardinals could change their mind given some of the interest that was sparked by the news of Hopkins’ impending departure.

For now, while the thought of Hopkins rounding out New England’s receiving corps is intriguing, it’s still tough to imagine him landing here. With not a lot of time left, it appears the veteran wideout’s focus may be to go somewhere he believes he’s got an immediate shot at winning a title.

Although Hopkins did post this video on his Instagram story, which was interesting. Needless to say, if none of the teams on his wish list come through, maybe anything is possible.

Cajuste Joining Jets​

It didn’t take long for Yodney Cajuste to find work.

After being released by the Patriots last week, the former offensive lineman appears set to join one of New England’s AFC East rivals, with Cajuste reportedly agreeing to terms with the Jets.

Cajuste was released by the Patriots last week, with the move also saving New England $2.74 million in cap space.

His release saw the team part ways with the last remaining pick from the 2019 draft, with 3rd round pick Damien Harris having also left after signing with Buffalo this offseason.

And The Talk About Wynn Continues

Wynn wasn't in camp, so the OT's needed to changed. It would have been so, so easy to have Herron replace Wynn and leave Brown at RT. Of course, Belichick played with the media (as always) by moving Brown to LT and having Herron play RT.

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M

Thread 'And The Talk About Wynn Continues'

May 30, 2022

Wynn wasn't in camp, so the OT's needed to changed.

It would have been so, so easy to have Herron replace Wynn and leave Brown at RT. Of course, Belichick played with the media (as always) by moving Brown to LT and having Herron play RT.

• mgteich
• Replies: 108
• Forum: PatsFans.com - Patriots Fan Forum

May 30, 2024 articles and threads:

Thursday Patriots Notebook 5/30: News and Notes | PatsFans.com

One thing that stood out with the numerous videos released by reporters on Wednesday was that New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye appears to be making steady progress as he continues adapting to life as an NFL rookie.

www.patsfans.com

Zappe Continues to Be Behind Brissett​

With the Patriots having drafted two quarterbacks last month, [B[Bailey Zappe[/B]’s situation here in New England has definitely become a little more complicated.

To this point, he’s remained the #2 quarterback in drills, with Wednesday’s session seeing a repeat of the previous one we saw as Zappe took the snaps behind fellow veteran Jacoby Brissett. Yesterday added a side note of Joe Milton not being present, albeit there were no reports related to his absence. As a result, there was more work to go around, which allowed Maye to get more reps compared to the workload he had previously.

Still, Zappe remains a player who, while comparing him to both Brissett and Maye, is definitely overmatched. He simply doesn’t have the physical tools those two possess. Despite that, he continues to carry himself exactly as you’d expect.

Nothing has changed, and he’s a player who simply intends to bring it each day.

We are #1 in 2025! (Draft order projection, ESPN's FPI)

21.9% chance at the top pick. 66.3%, top five. 87.4%, top ten. Projecting the 2025 NFL draft order: Favorites for the No. 1 overall pick, plus who cracks the top 10?

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Thread 'We are #1 in 2025! (Draft order projection, ESPN's FPI)'

May 30, 2024

21.9% chance at the top pick.
66.3%, top five.
87.4%, top ten.
Projecting the 2025 NFL draft order: Favorites for the No. 1 overall pick, plus who cracks the top 10?

• Force Zero Boomer
• Replies: 82
• Forum: PatsFans.com - Patriots Fan Forum

[Garofalo] Maye getting paid quickly

More evidence that it wasn't entirely "Kraft is cheap." A note in Drake Maye’s deal with the #Patriots (four years, $36.6 million): He gets all of his $23,467,100 signing bonus within 14 days of signing. That's one of the few elements of these deals that's a point of negotiation these days and...

www.patsfans.com

Thread '[Garofalo] Maye getting paid quickly'

May 30, 2024

More evidence that it wasn't entirely "Kraft is cheap."

A note in Drake Maye’s deal with the #Patriots (four years, $36.6 million): He gets all of his $23,467,100 signing bonus within 14 days of signing. That's one of the few elements of these deals that's a point of negotiation these days and that's a timely payout for Maye.

• ctpatsfan77
• Replies: 65
• Forum: PatsFans.com - Patriots Fan Forum

The New Kickoff Rules Change Everything

KC suggests they may not use their kicker (Butker) for kickoffs - instead preferring someone that can both kick and tackle. Large number of plays involve the kicker blocking or tackling. Hang time now irrelevant. Well worth a listen to their Special Teams coordinator, Dave Toub:

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S

Thread 'The New Kickoff Rules Change Everything'

May 30, 2024

KC suggests they may not use their kicker (Butker) for kickoffs - instead preferring someone that can both kick and tackle. Large number of plays involve the kicker blocking or tackling. Hang time now irrelevant.

Well worth a listen to their Special Teams coordinator, Dave Toub:

• SlowGettingUp
• Replies: 28
• Forum: PatsFans.com - Patriots Fan Forum

May 30, 2025 articles and threads:

MORSE: Thoughts On OTA Week 2 Practice Open to Media | PatsFans.com

The Patriots opened up their practice to the media on Wednesday. The media were under strict direction not to disclose any depth chart or starting lineups.

www.patsfans.com

Organized Team Activity #2​

A video of Stefon Diggs has surfaced, showing him on a yacht and partying with some women in bikinis. Such is the life of a single NFL superstar. Diggs is seen handing one of the women a baggie with a pink substance in it. Mike Vrabel was asked about the video in his press conference before the practice. He seemed annoyed that he had to answer questions about this incident. Vrabel answered by saying “we want to make great decisions on and off the field … any conversations that I’ve had with Stefon will remain between him and I and the club.” Thanks to Ian Logue for publishing the entire transcript of Vrabel’s Press Conference.

Still no Terrell Williams on the field yet. When asked about Williams Vrabel stated “the communication that I see every day with him and the players in their meetings, in the Zoom meeting. I know that he’s excited, and hopefully, we’ll get him back here sooner rather than later.” There is no timetable for his return. I anticipate it won’t be until Training Camp. If it’s longer than that then I have some real concerns about his overall health situation.

A forgotten name surfaced in practice. Tyrese Robinson received a lot of reps and appears to be in the competition for the starting Left Guard position. This will be the one positional battle to watch with any number of players getting the opportunity to start. Cole Strange, Wes Sweitzer, Layden Robinson, Jared Wilson and now Tyrese Robinson. The 6’3”, 319-pound Guard played his first NFL game in the season finale against the Buffalo Bills backup players. He went undrafted in 2022 out of Oklahoma and signed with Washington, was cut at the final cutdowns and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles where he spent 2022 and 2023 on their Practice Squad. He signed with Minnesota for 2024 camp but was cut and then signed by the Patriots Practice Squad. Pro Football Focus gave him a good overall grade for the one game he played versus the Bills backups. He had a 75.4 overall grade (88.2 Run Blocking and 67.3 Pass Blocking). If he played at least 5 games, he would have been ranked 18th in the league. In that one game he had 1 penalty and gave up a sack.

Poll: best Patriots moment

There have been some great moments in Patriots history, like “I resign as HC of the NYJ” on a ****tail napkin. But what was the best? Express your opinion by voting here.

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Thread 'Poll: best Patriots moment'

May 30, 2025

There have been some great moments in Patriots history, like “I resign as HC of the NYJ” on a ****tail napkin. But what was the best? Express your opinion by voting here.

• n1997y
• Replies: 95
• Forum: PatsFans.com - Patriots Fan Forum

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Bucko Kilroy​

In memory of Bucko Kilroy, born on this date 105 years ago
Born May 30, 1921 in Philadelphia
Died July 10, 2007 at the age of 86 in Norwood
Patriot executive from 1971 to 2007
Director of Player Personnel, 1971-1978; General Manager, 1979-1982
Vice President, 1983-1993; Scouting Consultant, 1994-2007

Francis Joseph 'Bucko' Kilroy played guard on offense, and middle guard and tackle on defense with the Eagles for 13 seasons. During that team Philly won two NFL championships, and he went to three Pro Bowls; he was also named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1940's.

Bucko Kilroy had a reputation for being a tough player, and won a $25,000 lawsuit (more than three times his annual salary) when Look magazine wrote an article implying he was a dirty player. He worked as a scout for the Eagles, Washington and Dallas from 1960-70 before joining the Patriots as their Director of Player Personnel in 1971.

He sued Life and a jury awarded him $25,000. He was pleased, because his highest salary as a player would be $8,000 and he had yet to reach it.​

“That was all a bunch of garbage,” he later said of the incident. “I was just a heavy hitter. We were hard people back then, and some guys are just naturally heavy hitters. It was a different time. None of this baby-boomer stuff. We were brash people.”​

Al DeRogatis, a former Giants’ lineman, found out the hard way. When he once accused Kilroy of biting his nose, Kilroy denied it.​

“I didn’t bite his nose,” Kilroy said. “I bit his ear.”​

Bucko Kilroy (r) helped Chuck Fairbanks (l) deliver one of the most successful drafts in Patriots NFL history in 1973.​

In 1979 Bucko Kilroy became New England's general manager, and then vice president from 1983-93. Kilroy then worked as a scouting consultant for another thirteen years until his death. John Hannah, Mike Haynes, Russ Francis, Steve Grogan and Sam Cunningham were among the players drafted when he was New England's player personnel director.


Kilroy is also the founder of the NFL Scouting Combine, and credited with the driving force behind both the modern day NFL draft and the Super Bowl. Bill Belichick said Kilroy was "one of the pillars of our league... a pure football man who did practically everything one person could do in the game, blazing trails every step of the way".

Francis 'Bucko' Kilroy Obituary

Francis Joseph "Bucko" Kilroy, age 86, a former New England Patriots general manager, died Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at Caritas Norwood Hospital. He was the son of the late Francis J.

www.patriots.com

Bucko began his playing career in 1943 with the wartime combined team of the Eagles and Steelers. He was a six time All-Pro guard for the Philadelphia Eagles during a 13 season playing career during the 1940s and 50s.​

After his playing career he worked in player personnel and scouting for the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys. He was also one of the founders of the National Football Scouting Combine. He was the Patriots general manager from 1979 to 1982 and vice-president from 1983 to 1993. He has been a scouting consultant for New England for the past 13 years.​

Bucko Kilroy, legendary NFL player and executive, dies at 86

The New England Patriots are saddened to learn that Francis “Bucko” Kilroy, veteran of 64 NFL seasons as a player, coach, scout, executive and consultant, passed away today at the age of 86.

www.patriots.com

Kilroy was a member of the New England Patriots organization for the past 36 years, serving as personnel director (1971-78), general manager (1979-82), vice president (1983-93) and scouting consultant (1994-2007). He was a contributor to 14 of the club’s (first) 15 playoff seasons, including all five of the franchise’s trips to the Super Bowl.​

In 1948 and 1949, his Eagles team became the only squad in history to post back-to-back shutouts in championship games. He once played in 146 consecutive games, then a league record, and was named to the NFL’s all-decade team for the 1940s. During his final three seasons with the Eagles, Kilroy was as a player/coach before serving as a full-time line coach for six seasons. He also served as the Eagles’ player personnel director during that time, becoming one of the five original talent scouts in the league. In 1962, he was named director of player personnel for the Washington Redskins and later served as a “super scout” for the Dallas Cowboys from 1966-1970 before joining the Patriots.​

Kilroy was revered in NFL scouting circles, having started many of the scouting services that became fixtures in the NFL. He was also one of the founders of the National Football Scouting Combine, one of the most important personnel events on the NFL’s current offseason calendar. While he was with the Cowboys’ personnel department, the team won five straight division championships.​

As personnel director of the Patriots, Kilroy was responsible for selecting the team’s two Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees, John Hannah (1973) and Mike Haynes (1976). He is credited with building some of the best teams in Patriots’ history, drafting Julius Adams, Hannah, Sam Cunningham, Steve Nelson, Russ Francis and Steve Grogan during his first five years as personnel director (1971-75). Over the next three years (1976-78), the Patriots compiled a 31-13 record (.705), including two playoff appearances. Over his 64-year career, Kilroy tutored numerous personnel analysts who went on to head NFL scouting departments.​

State Your Case: Why Bucko Kilroy Is 'The Epitome of a Hall Contributor'

If ever there's someone for whom the Hall of Fame’s contributor category was invented, it's Bucko Kilroy.​

Only former New York Giants’ owner Wellington Mara served more consecutive years in the NFL than Kilroy, whose 64 seasons as a player, coach, scout and executive nosed out George Halas by one. It was something he was rightfully proud of but not the only thing. Or even the first.​

Philadelphia born and bred, Kilroy became Temple’s first All-America lineman and then a two-way, three-time Pro Bowler at both offensive guard and middle guard for his hometown team. He was a rock of stability on an Eagles’ line that propelled Steve Van Buren into the Hall of Fame and the Eagles to NFL championships in 1948 and 1949.​

In both title games the Eagles defense, a 5-2 alignment with Kilroy in the middle and everyone on the line, produced shutouts. It’s the only time that's happened in NFL history.​

“I enjoyed playing defense,’’ Kilroy once said. “Offense was drudgery.’’​

After his playing days, Kilroy became an Eagles’ assistant for five years before finding his second calling: Scouting.​

Kilroy was not merely someone with an eye for talent, although he certainly had one. He was an innovator who is credited with creating the NFL scouting combine as well as the Dallas Cowboys’ information-based grading system for selecting players.​

After three years scouting for the Redskins, Kilroy arrived in Dallas in 1965 with an idea: He and Gil Brandt would transform how drafting was done, turning it from a guessing game into an information-gathering endeavor.​

“The more measurements you got, the more you could confirm,’’ Kilroy once said when explaining the Cowboys’ computerized approach in a time of pencils and erasers. “Anything else was an estimate or an opinion.​

“I used tests and numbers as a barometer. You measured them against players you had who had been successful. You didn’t pick guys out of a football yearbook.’’​

Believe it or not, Street and Smith’s college football annual was the staple of more than a few ‘’scouting’’ departments in those days. Not Kilroy’s.​

"Gil Brandt and Bucko put together a system in Dallas," former Baltimore, Cleveland and New York Giants GM Ernie Accorsi once recalled. "We never had a system. We drafted OK, but it was by the seat of the pants. Everyone talks about Gil and the computers, but Bucko never got enough credit. He took that scouting system to New England and really refined it. He took it to the next level."​

Kilroy was instrumental in drafting Roger Staubach, despite his naval commitment, and put together the foundation of Tom Landry’s great Dallas teams of the 1970s. In 1971 he headed off to New England, where he did it again for the Patriots during what would become a 36-year career as scouting director, general manager, vice-president and, in his later years, scouting consultant.​

He drafted Hall-of-Famers John Hannah and Mike Haynes, as well as Russ Francis, despite the fact Francis had not played his senior season at Oregon. Later, he would take Stanley Morgan, Darryl Stingley, Sam Cunningham, Steve Nelson, Steve Grogan, Pete Brock and Raymond Clayborn, thus turning the long somnambulant Patriots into a playoff fixture in the mid-to-late 1970s and again in the mid-1980s, when they reached the Super Bowl for the first time.​

Kilroy would help New England do it again in the late 1990s and into their present Super Bowl run, with the first three of their Super Bowl dynasty teams having been blessed by the Kilroy touch. In fact, then Patriots’ personnel director Scott Pioli, a Bill Belichick disciple, made it a requirement that each of their scouts regularly visit with Kilroy.​

Bucko Kilroy, 86, N.F.L. Star and Executive, Dies (Published 2007)

Bucko Kilroy spent 64 years in the National Football League as an All-Pro lineman and was later celebrated as a personnel executive and scout.

www.nytimes.com

He helped the Eagles win N.F.L. championships in 1948 and 1949. The Eagles rewarded each player on those teams with a $500 bonus and a cigarette lighter.​

“We got rings, too,” Kilroy recalled. “We bought them for $65.”​

He was a founder of the National Football Scouting Combine. In 1982, The Boston Globe called him “the man who helped create the science of pro scouting.” It added, “In a football sense, he is a genius.”​

The late **** Steinberg, a Kilroy protégé who became general manager of the Jets, said in 1992: “He knows as much about pro football as anyone in history. He’s never been wrong in his life. He’s not what a lot of people think. He’s shrewd and organized.”​

He was a bear of a man, described this way by The Globe in 1992: “He looks, quite frankly, like an unmade bed. He is a big man in the way some bears seem big, barrel-chested, heavy-legged, white shirt popping out of his suit pants. He is solid in the sense of a piano, a man who does not tread lightly through a room.”​

Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame -- Frank "Bucko" Kilroy"

Did not miss a start for 8 consecutive seasons (1947-1954)​

Voted to the Eagles’ All-Time 60th Anniversary team as an OG​

As Director of Player personnel for Dallas, he drafted Roger Staubach despite his 5 year naval commitment after graduation (1964)​

Instrumental in drafting players that won three Super Bowls for the New England Patriots​

Credited as a founder of the modern day NFL Draft​

NFL Executive who helped fashion the Super Bowl as we know it today​

Member of NFL 1940’s All-Decade Team​

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Je'Rod Cherry​

Happy 53rd birthday to Je'Rod Cherry
Born May 30, 1973 in Charlotte, North Carolina; hometown Berkeley, California
Patriots special teamer/safety, 2001-2004; uniform #30
Signed as a veteran free agent on July 25, 2001
Pats résumé: four seasons, 55 games, 55 tackles; 11 tackles in nine playoff games (9-0); three rings

The special teams standout signed with the Pats as a veteran free agent after having been with New Orleans for four seasons, Philly for one year, and Oakland briefly in the offseason. He had 55 regular season special teams tackles for the Pats in four seasons, and earned three rings in his nine playoff games with the Pats. Since retiring Cherry initially worked as a financial analyst, and later as a pregame host and NFL analyst for a Cleveland radio station.

Cherry signed with the Patriots just prior to the start of the 2001 training camp, and he proceeded to earn rings in Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX as a special teams player before retiring after the 2004 season.

He made an immediate impact for the Patriots on special teams in 2001 and 2002, helping to fill the void after Larry Whigham's departure. In 2001, Cherry tied for 3rd in ST tackles with 12 and led the Patriots with six ST tackles during their Super Bowl run in the postseason. In 2002, he again ranked 3rd in ST tackles with 12 during the regular season. During the 2003 regular season, he finished with 13 ST tackles and recorded another ST tackle in the Super Bowl against Carolina. In 2004, Cherry again recorded 13 ST tackles and then had two ST tackles against Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship Game.

How One Patriots Super Bowl Ring Gave New Life To 24 Orphans In Thailand

Jerod Cherry was attending a religious youth conference in 2008 when he ran into a staffer who had a thought about the three Super Bowl titles he won with the New England Patriots. The gathered teens had fallen $20,000 short of their fundraising goal for building an orphanage overseas, and the...

stylemagazine.com

Jerod Cherry was attending a religious youth conference in 2008 when he ran into a staffer who had a thought about the three Super Bowl titles he won with the New England Patriots. The gathered teens had fallen $20,000 short of their fundraising goal for building an orphanage overseas, and the staffer, Courtney Cherest, wondered whether Cherry might be in the mood to cover the difference.​

Cherest was joking, kind of. She was a Peyton Manning fan and something of a Tom Brady hater, and when Cherry walked by her during a break, she asked, "Hey, man, are you going to give up one of those rings?" . . .​

Cherry was moved by a presentation that included the image of a starving, emaciated child in a faraway land and of a nearby vulture apparently waiting for the child to die. "I'm a father with four kids, and something like that really puts you in your place," he said. "You're thinking, 'Oh my gosh, someone is actually living like that.' And here I am throwing some of my food away."​

Not that Cherry couldn't relate, on some level, to the struggle to survive one day and advance to the next. He grew up poor around Oakland and Berkeley, California. He said his family spent some time on welfare, and he often tried to get by on a diet of french fries. Cherry tells the story of being without phone service in his home for three years because his father had given him money to compete in a high-level track meet in Texas. "We never recovered financially from that," he said.​

College recruiters couldn't call him, but they found him anyway. Cherry said Columbia University offered him a grant to come east, and an Ivy League education in the world's most prominent market was hard to turn down. But Cherry couldn't consider anything but a full scholarship, no questions asked, and he settled on a political science curriculum at Cal-Berkeley, where he earned a master's in education and enough respect as a safety to get picked in the second round of the 1996 draft by the New Orleans Saints.​

He became a special-teams player for the Patriots in 2001, just in the nick of time to win three rings in four years and, ultimately, to show up at that Cedarville conference after a fitful night of sleep and declare himself ready to do something useful with one of them.​

Cherry knew he had to donate the ring that meant the most to him: the one from Super Bowl XXXVI and the upset of the high-flying St. Louis Rams. That ring symbolized the first hour of the Patriots' dynasty and the birth of the Patriot Way.​

No, it wasn't an easy choice. Cherry had three tackles in that 20-17 victory over the Rams, including one on a punt for a 1-yard loss. He poured a river of blood, sweat and tears into that journey, which he called, "something unreal, something I'd never experienced in the NFL. Just the most physically taxing season that you could put your body through." The backup safety said coach Bill Belichick never let up during that stunning 2001 run, not even for half a day. The grind made the ring more special.​

But Cherry had read about Cain and Abel, and he decided his sacrifice needed to be more like Abel's. "No disrespect to the other two rings," he said. "I easily could've given the second or third one, and nobody would've said anything. But my thought was, 'If I'm going to give anything that's sacrificial and supposed to represent my faith in God, I'd better give my best and what I care about the most.'"​

Now he had to figure out what, exactly, to do with his most cherished, 14-karat piece of white gold. Cherry ended up running into Tom Brady and his family at a benefit concert, and Brady's sister, Nancy, who has done extensive work for African causes, put the former Patriot in touch with an organizer who could maximize the value of the ring. They decided on a raffle that wouldn't exclude the average fan, who is usually overwhelmed by the heavy corporate hitters at an auction.​

Raffle tickets went for two bucks a pop, with a minimum purchase of five tickets. The winner was promised a ring from an epic Super Bowl and about $16,000 to pay for the taxes. The raffle cleared more than $180,000 for the charities of Cherry's choosing.​

​

Once a financial analyst, Cherry is now a talk radio host in Cleveland, where he does afternoon drive and Browns pregame work for the ESPN affiliate WKNR. In some ways, he was the perfect Patriot or the perfect Belichick player. He appeared in 127 regular-season NFL games and didn't start in a single one of them. His intelligence and special teams hustle are what kept him in the league for nine years.​

When Adam Vinatieri made his kick to win Super Bowl XXXVI, Cherry secured his first championship on any level, Pop Warner included. As ecstatic as he was, Cherry said he was suddenly struck by the thought that he hadn't reached the pinnacle of anything. "This is not it," the backup safety told himself. "There's got to be more to life than this."​

He described the moment as a spiritual awakening; he described the 2008 encounter with the youth conference worker who joked with him about giving up his prized possession in the same way. Cherry doesn't wear his Patriots rings from Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX, in part because he finds them a bit ostentatious. Besides, nothing in his football life could compare to that 2001 season.​

Fifteen years later, Cherry is thrilled that his most selfless team has contributed to a most selfless cause.​

Brady was the most valuable player in New England's victory over the Rams. That much is not in dispute. But a man who made a few tackles that night, Jerod Cherry, is the Patriot who owns -- or used to own -- the most valuable ring in Super Bowl history.​

Cal grad Je'rod Cherry's Super Bowl ring is helping to raise 24 orphans in Thailand

In 2008, Cal Berkeley grad and former New England Patriots safety Je'rod Cherry...

www.sfgate.com

Je'Rod Cherry - A former Patriot with a true heart of gold

I was a bit teary eyed reading this wbztv.com - Former New England Patriots Player Donates Ring To Help Children In Need Je'Rod was a former Patriot who was a nice little addition to this team a few years ago as a ST and SS but just could not last very long on the active roster and now is...

www.patsfans.com

Je'Rod Cherry Career Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Get Je'Rod Cherry Career game log for regular season and playoff games on Pro-football-reference.com.

www.pro-football-reference.com

Je'rod Cherry Pro Football Record

The trusted source for pro football information about Je'rod Cherry. Get statistics, transactions. biographical data and more at Pro Football Archives.

www.profootballarchives.com

Je'Rod Cherry - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Brenden Schooler​

Happy 29th birthday to Brenden Schooler
Born May 30, 1997 in Dana Point, California; hometown Mission Viejo, California
Patriots special teamer/safety, 2022-present; uniform #41
Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent from Texas via Oregon on May 9, 2022
Pats résumé: four seasons, 66 games; 59 tackles; six tackles in four postseason games;
All-Rookie Team 2022; Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro, 2024


Brenden Schooler has missed just one game in his four seasons with the Patriots, playing almost exclusively on special teams. During that time Schooler has logged 1,433 special team snaps, and 93 snaps on defense (all in 2024-25). Brenden has 59 tackles, four fumble recoveries, three quarterback hits - and an awesome blocked field goal to his credit.

​

Brenden Schooler - Football - University of Texas Athletics

Brenden Schooler (14) DB - A second-year Longhorn who utilized his additional year of eligibility … played in 21 games with eight starts … appeared in nine

texassports.com

A graduate transfer wide receiver who played four seasons at Oregon and joins the Longhorns after a brief stint at Arizona ... earned Pac-12 All-Conference First Team honors in 2017 and 2018 for his special teams contributions ... has caught 43 passes for 521 yards and four touchdowns in his career ... played in 41 games during his career at Oregon ... began his collegiate career at Oregon as a safety ...​

Brenden Schooler - Football - University of Oregon Athletics

Brenden Schooler (9) Wide Receiver - As A Junior (2018) » Coaches Pac-12 All-Conference first team (Special Teams) Second season at wide receiver … Played in...

goducks.com

High School​

Played senior season at Mission Viejo High School in 2015, excelling both on defense on the football field and on the track ... Earned California Large School All-State first team honors, first-team All-Orange County (Orange County Register) and first-team all-league honors on the gridiron and was named the CIF Southern Section West Valley Defensive MVP after recording 91 tackles and three interceptions as a defensive back ... Also accumulated a trio of blocked punts and two deflected field goals for the Diablos ... On the track, placed 11th in state in the long jump as a senior in only his first year in addition to posting a season-best 23-4.25 ...​

Brenden Schooler's NFL Draft Journey | From Undrafted to Patriots Special Teams All-Pro
4:01 New England Patriots video
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Patriots' Brenden Schooler In Line For Roster Spot After 'Crazy' Football Journey

After a "crazy" high school and college career, Brenden Schooler looks like a near-lock to make the Patriots' roster as a UDFA.

nesn.com

Change has been the only constant in Brenden Schooler's football career.​

Four California high schools in four years.​

Three big-time college football programs.​

Six (!) head coaches across those three college stops.​

Two different primary positions: safety and wide receiver.​

And, now, a maiden NFL summer that appears destined to end with a spot on the New England Patriots' 53-man roster.​

During his stints at Oregon, Arizona and Texas, Schooler played under head coaches (deep breath) Mark Helfrich, Willie Taggart, Mario Cristobal, Kevin Sumlin, Tom Herman and Steve Sarkisian, requiring him to annually adjust to a new scheme and culture.​

Recognizing him as a potential impact player on special teams, the Patriots contacted Schooler before the draft and set up a private workout with coaches Cam Achord and Joe Houston. He remained in "steady contact" with Achord and Houston, and when his name wasn't called during the 2022 draft, signing with New England as a UDFA was a "no-brainer."​

Schooler also jumped at the opportunity to learn from special teams stalwarts like Matthew Slater, Cody Davis and Justin Bethel. He's been glued to Slater and Davis since spring practice, running through specialized kicking game drills with the veteran duo on a daily basis. Schooler also made a point to introduce himself to Nate Ebner when the ex-Patriots special teamer visited a practice last week.​

Brenden Schooler Career Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com

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

www.pro-football-reference.com

Brenden Schooler Pro Football Record

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

www.profootballarchives.com

Brenden Schooler - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Eddie Hare​

Happy 69th birthday to Eddie Hare
Born May 30, 1957 in Ulysses, Kansas; hometown Kilgore, Texas
Patriots punter, 1979; uniform #8
Pats 4th round (106th overall) selection of the 1979 draft, from Tulsa
Pats résumé: one season, 16 games


Bucko Kilroy and Chuck Fairbanks must have watched Tulsa upset Arkansas and really liked this punter. Unfortunately he averaged only 36.6 yards per punt in his one and only NFL season, with an abysmal 29.8 yards net. Of his 83 punts, Hare placed twenty inside the 20 yard line, while 11 went into the endzone for a touchback. Edwin Everett 'Eddie' Hare was waived-injured early in 1980. He spent the 1981 offseason with the Rams, but did not make their roster - and that was the extent of his NFL career.

Remember TU's upset in 1976?

"Rocky" won the Academy Award for best picture in 1976.

www.tulsaworld.com

Eddie Hare Career Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com

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

www.pro-football-reference.com

Eddie Hare Pro Football Record

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

www.profootballarchives.com

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Leon McLaughlin​

In memory of Leon McLaughlin, who would have been 101 today
Born May 30, 1925 in San Diego
Died Oct 27, 2014 at the age of 89 in king County, Washington
Patriots offensive line coach, 1977
Hired in Feb 1977 to replace Red Miller, who became Denver's head coach
Pats résumé: one offseason

Leon McLaughlin was a center who started every game for the Los Angeles Rams from 1951 to 1955. For the next ten years he coached high school and college teams, then from 1966-68 was the Steelers OL coach. After two seasons as head coach at DII Valley State in California, McLaughlin returned to his old team as OL coach with the Rams. He held the same position with the the Lions and Packers before arriving in Foxborough, then worked for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals from 1978 to 1989 - before retiring after 34 years as a coach, in addition to his five years as an NFL player.

Leon McLaughlin Pro Football Record

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

www.profootballarchives.com

Leon McLaughlin Coaching Record

The trusted source for the pro football coaching record of Leon McLaughlin.

www.profootballarchives.com

Leon McLaughlin - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Wayne Coffey​

Happy 62nd birthday to Wayne Coffey
Born May 30, 1964 in Rantoul, Illinois; hometown Abilene, Texas
Patriots wide receiver, 1987; uniform #83
Signed as an undrafted rookie free agent from Texas State on May 20; 1986; re-signed late September, 1987
Pats résumé: three games, three receptions for 66 yards


Wayne Coffey was signed as an undrafted rookie, and released on August 19, 1986. He was re-signed as a strike-replacement player a year later, catching three passes for 66 yards in those three games. After being released by the Falcons early in 1988 training camp, Coffey started playing in the Arena Football League. From 1989 he was a WR/DB with the Denver Dynamite, San Antonio Riders, Sacramento Attack, Miami Hooters, Cincinnati Rockers and Las Vegas Sting.

Since then Wayne Everett Coffey has been a long time police officer at the University of Texas at Austin.

Archive - 2016

An archive of UT System Police Officers of the Month (click the links below to navigate to a particular officer)

www.utsystem.edu

My most important mentor is Natalie Coffey, my best friend and partner of 33 years. Together, we have two amazing children. Natalie and I have both been fortunate enough to have our dream jobs and share the parenting responsibilities. Natalie worked on Capitol Hill as a Congressional Chief of Staff and I played professional football in the NFL with the New England Patriots and the Arena Football League with a number of different teams. Little did I know after playing professional football that I would be fortunate enough to land a second dream job here at The University of Texas at Austin.​

In my spare time I like to play golf and relax on my deck. One of my mentors at UTPD helped me build the deck and I love the deck because it is the perfect man cave with a big screen TV. I recently checked off a Bucket List item when I played golf at Pebble Beach. Other Bucket List items include traveling to Europe once my son Spencer completes his Ph.D.; and golfing at St. Andrews in Scotland. People would be surprised to know that I still enjoy riding skateboards and it is something I loved as a child. I am the youngest of six children and my dad was a firefighter in the Air Force.​

Wayne Coffey Career Game Log | Pro-Football-Reference.com

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

www.pro-football-reference.com

Wayne Coffey Pro Football Record

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

profootballarchives.com

Wayne Coffey | ArenaFan.com

ArenaFan is the premier community site for fans of the Arena Football League. News, scores, standings, statistics, games and more. Anything you've ever wanted to know about the AFL.

www.arenafan.com

 

[jmt57]

Today in Patriots History
Kamar Aiken​

Happy 37th birthday to Kamar Aiken
Born May 30, 1989 in Hollywood, Florida
Patriots wide receiver, 2012; uniform #16
Signed to the practice squad on Nov 12, 2012
Pats résumé: one season, one game; two stints on the practice squad, followed by a full offseason


The Pats signed Aiken to their practice squad in mid-November of 2012, after he had spent time on the practice squads with Chicago and Buffalo. He was promoted to the 53-man roster on December 22 and was at that time most well known for being waived two days later, on Christmas Eve. He was brought back to the active roster on December 29 and finished the year with one game to his credit, with no stats. Aiken was part of roster cuts at the end of the 2013 training camp.

He then caught on with Baltimore, appearing in 48 games with 20 starts over the next three seasons. His best season was with in 2015 when he had 75 receptions for 944 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 12.6 yards per catch. Aiken did quite well for an undrafted player, appearing in 71 NFL games from 2011 to 2018, with 149 receptions and nine touchdowns.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AikeKa00.htm

Kamar Aiken Pro Football Record

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

profootballarchives.com

Kamar Aiken - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[jmt57]

Today in Sports History
May 30​

May 30, 1911:
The inaugural Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, won by Ray Harroun who drove his Marmon "Wasp" at an average speed of 74.6 mph.

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May 30, 1935:
Babe Ruth played his final Major League game, grounding out in a single at-bat for the Boston Braves against the Philadelphia Phillies.

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May 30, 1985:
The Edmonton Oilers, led by Wayne Gretzky, defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 8-3 in Game 5 to win their second straight Stanley Cup.

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May 30, 1987:
Mike Tyson knocked out Pinklon Thomas in the sixth round in Las Vegas, successfully retaining his unified WBA and WBC Heavyweight titles.

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[jmt57]

Today in Music History
May 30​

May 30, 1917:
The first jazz record, Darktown Strutters' Ball, was released.




May 30, 1956
Time magazine prints an article entitled Teener's Hero, which tries to explain Elvis Presley's mystique. After a drawn-out description of his singing style, the writer says of Presley's appeal: "his movements suggest, in a word, sex."




May 30, 1963:
Lesley Gore makes her first TV appearance, performing It's My Party on American Bandstand. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100, the Cashbox Best Sellers list, and the UK Official Chart.




May 30, 1964:
Love Me Do became The Beatles fourth US #1 hit, a song John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote as teenagers. The version released in America is one that had session drummer Andy White playing drums while Ringo Starr played the tambourine. The British single was a take on which Ringo played the drums. An easy way to distinguish between the two versions is the British one with Ringo on drums does not include a tambourine.




May 30, 1966:
Anne Murray signed a contract with the CBC-TV show Singalong Jubilee. She would be paid $71.50 for each appearance on the show, and $99 if she soloed.




May 30, 1966:
Dolly Parton marries Carl Thomas Dean, the owner of a Nashville asphalt road-paving business. The pair celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2016. Dolly has been quoted as saying, "We're really very proud of our marriage. It's the first for both of us. And the last." She has also stated that her passport read "Dolly Parton Dean", and she sometimes uses Dean when signing contracts.




May 30, 1966:
The Beatles Paperback Writer is released in the US, where it will go on to become the band's twelfth Billboard #1 hit. The disc will eventually sell over a million copies and earn a Gold Record in America for that accomplishment. The song also topped the charts in the United Kingdom, West Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Norway.




May 30, 1968:
The Beatles began recording what became known as the White Album at EMI Recording Studios in London, a two disc set whose official title was actually The Beatles. The first track they lay down is Revolution. Released in November, in America it racked up 215 weeks on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, selling over 12 million copies. The album has since been certified 24X platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The studio was later renamed Abbey Road Studios.

​

May 30, 1970:
Ray Stevens achieved the first of his two Billboard number one hits when Everything Is Beautiful reached the top for the first of a two-week stay. His second came almost exactly four years later with the novelty song The Streak.




May 30, 1972:
John Ryanes, second bass singer for The Monotones, passed away at the age of 31. The group had one big hit, Book Of Love, which reached number 5 in the US in 1958.




May 30, 1973:
As the follow-up to 1970's critically acclaimed All Things Must Pass, George Harrison releases his fourth studio album, Living in the Material World. It will become his second US number one LP, and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America two days after it was issued. The main single, Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth), would top the Billboard Hot 100, pushing Paul McCartney and Wings' My Love to second spot.

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May 30, 1975:
Alice Cooper's first solo album Welcome to My Nightmare was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 copies. It was later awarded a Platinum disc for selling one million units. Three tracks were released as singles: Department of Youth (US #67), Only Women Bleed (US #12) and Welcome to My Nightmare (US #45).

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May 30, 1980:
Carl Radle, bass guitarist for Derek And The Dominos, died of drug-and-alcohol-related kidney infection at the age of 37. After The Dominos split he continued to work with other artists such as George Harrison, Joe ****er, Dave Mason, J.J. Cale, and Delaney and Bonnie. His first taste of success was as the bassist for Gary Lewis & the Playboys from 1965 to 1967.

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May 30, 1988:
Columbia Records releases Bob Dylan's twenty-fifth studio album, Down in the Groove. Following the poorly received Knocked Out Loaded (1986), Down in the Groove received similarly negative reviews and disappointing sales. The album peaked at #61 in the US and #32 in the UK, while its only single, Silvio failed to chart in either country.




May 30, 1990:
Midnight Oil closed down 6th Avenue in New York City as they played a protest concert in front of Exxon's offices. The protest was in reaction to the Exxon Valdez disaster that devastated Prince William Sound in Alaska the year before. Vocalist Peter Garrett says: "We can't treat the world like a garbage dump, and there's more to life than profit and loss."

Midnight Oil’s music with a message ignites crowd in NYC

The environmentally friendly Australian rock veterans played a memorable show on Sunday, June 19th at Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom as part of their farewell tour.

www.goldminemag.com

May 30, 1992:
Paul Simon married Edie Brickell of the alt-rock band The New Bohemians. They would have three children, Adrian, Lulu, and Gabriel. Simon, who is 26 years older than Brickell, was previously married to Peggy Harper from 1970 to 1975 and actress Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia in Star Wars) from 1983 to 1984.




May 30, 1992:
The Black Crowes debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart with their second album, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. Four singles from the album were #1 hits, which helped the album reach the top spot.




May 30, 1999:
Three thousand people had to be evacuated from Royal Albert Hall in London where Kenny Rogers was about to perform, after a bomb threat was made. No bomb was found and no injuries were reported.




May 30, 2000:
Eminem's second major-label album, The Marshall Mathers LP, becomes the fastest-selling rap album ever when it sells 1.76 million copies in its debut week.

Having his life on public display gives him plenty of material for his machine gun mouth. In Stan he takes on the voice of a fan who goes off the rails worshiping him; in The Way I Am he shuns his celebrity: "I'm so sick of bein' admired that I wish I would just die or get fired."

Slim Shady also shows up, going berserk on Christina Aguilera, Tom Green, and anyone else in his lyrical line of fire in The Real Slim Shady. There's even a song named after his wife called Kim, but it's not a love song: he raps about getting into an argument and killing her.

For every person offended, there are many more who connect with the album, or at least find it amusing enough to buy it. First week sales are staggering, and after a month over 6 million copies are sold in the US. It goes on to become the best-selling rap album of all time in America.

May 30, 2002:
Diva Diana Ross voluntarily entered a Malibu drug and alcohol rehabilitation center called Promises to "clear up some personal issues" before embarking on a summer concert tour.




May 30, 2003:
British record producer Mickie Most, who is credited with producing more number one hits world-wide than any other producer, died of peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. He was 64. During a long career he recorded with The Animals, Herman's Hermits, Donovan, Lulu, The Yardbirds, Jeff Beck, The Nashville Teens, Hot Chocolate, Kim Wilde and many others.

​

May 30, 2009:
81-year-old music legend Fats Domino made a rare appearance at a charity event in New Orleans that raises funds to rebuild schools and playgrounds damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Although he did not perform, The Fat Man watched his old friends Little Richard, B.B. King and Chuck Berry hit the stage and waved at the 3,000-strong crowd.




May 30, 2010:
Anita Humes, lead singer for The Essex on their 1963 hits Easier Said Than Done (#1) and A Walkin' Miracle (#12), passed away at the age of 69. After the band split in 1967 she released several solo singles for Roulette, but had no chart success.




May 30, 2010:
Ali-Ollie Woodson, who fronted The Temptations during the 1980s and 1990s and helped return the group to chart success with songs such as Treat Her Like a Lady, Sail Away and Lady Soul, died of cancer at the age of 58.




May 30, 2012:
According to Nielsen SoundScan, sales of Bee Gees albums jumped 339% during the week following Robin Gibb's death. Their best selling album, The Ultimate Bee Gees, re-entered the Billboard 200 chart at #49.




May 30, 2015:
Julie Harris, an Academy Award-winning costume designer who outfitted The Beatles for their films A Hard Day's Night and Help!, passed away at the age of 94. She was once quoted as saying, "I must be one of the few people who can claim they have seen John, Paul, George and Ringo naked."




May 30, 2017:
Olivia Newton-John postponed her North American tour to fight a recurrence of breast cancer, which had spread to her back. The 68-year-old singer had been in remission since 1992, but would succumb to the disease on August 8, 2022.




May 30, 2017:
Bob Seger's Greatest Hits album, released in 1994, is certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of ten million copies. His music was kept off streaming services until 2017, which helped boost sales, at least half of which came after 2002.




May 30, 2020:
The remix of Megan Thee Stallion's Savage featuring Beyoncé goes to #1 in America, giving Megan her first chart-topper. The song got a huge boost on TikTok, where it soundtracked a viral dance challenge during the pandemic.




May 30, 2022:
Songwriter Paul Vance, who co-wrote some of rock 'n' roll's most memorable hits songs, passed away at the age of 92. Among his more successful tunes were Perry Como's Catch a Falling Star (#3 in 1958), Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini by Brian Hyland, (#1 in 1960), What Will My Mary Say by Johnny Mathis (#9 in 1963), Tracy by The Cuff Links (#9 in 1969), Playground In My Mind by Clint Holmes (#2 in 1972), and Run Joey Run by David Geddes (#4 in 1975).




May 30, 2025:
Taylor Swift buys the master recordings to her first six albums from the private equity firm that bought them in 2020. Swift's former label, along with her masters, was sold to her nemesis Scooter Braun in 2019, grinding her gears so badly that she started re-recording those albums, releasing four Taylor's Versions that all went to #1 and far out-streamed the originals.

 

[jmt57]

Today in US & World History
May 30​

May 30, 1431:
Joan of Arc is burned at the stake for heresy.

At Rouen in English-controlled Normandy, Joan of Arc, the peasant girl who became the savior of France, is burned at the stake for heresy.

Joan was born in 1412, the daughter of a tenant farmer at Domremy, on the borders of the duchies of Bar and Lorraine. In 1415, the Hundred Years War between England and France entered a crucial phase when the young King Henry V of England invaded France and won a series of decisive victories against the forces of King Charles VI. By the time of Henry’s death in August 1422, the English and their French-Burgundian allies controlled Aquitaine and most of northern France, including Paris. Charles VI, long incapacitated, died one month later, and his son, Charles, regent from 1418, prepared to take the throne. However, Reims, the traditional city of French coronation, was held by the Anglo-Burgundians, and the Dauphin (heir apparent to the French throne) remained uncrowned. Meanwhile, King Henry VI of England, the infant son of Henry V and Catherine of Valois, the daughter of Charles VI, was proclaimed king of France by the English.

Joan’s village of Domremy lay on the frontier between the France of the Dauphin and that of the Anglo-Burgundians. In the midst of this unstable environment, Joan began hearing “voices” of three Christian saints—St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret. When she was about 16, these voices exhorted her to aid the Dauphin in capturing Reims and therefore the French throne. In May 1428, she traveled to Vaucouleurs, a stronghold of the Dauphin, and told the captain of the garrison of her visions. Disbelieving the young peasant girl, he sent her home. In January 1429, she returned, and the captain, impressed by her piety and determination, agreed to allow her passage to the Dauphin at Chinon.

Dressed in men’s clothes and accompanied by six soldiers, she reached the Dauphin’s castle at Chinon in February 1429 and was granted an audience. Charles hid himself among his courtiers, but Joan immediately picked him out and informed him of her divine mission. For several weeks, Charles had Joan questioned by theologians at Poitiers, who concluded that, given his desperate straits, the Dauphin would be well-advised to make use of this strange and charismatic girl.

Charles furnished her with a small army, and on April 27, 1429, she set out for Orleans, besieged by the English since October 1428. On April 29, as a French sortie distracted the English troops on the west side of Orleans, Joan entered unopposed by its eastern gate. She brought greatly needed supplies and reinforcements and inspired the French to a passionate resistance. She personally led the charge in several battles and on May 7 was struck by an arrow. After quickly dressing her wound, she returned to the fight, and the French won the day. On May 8, the English retreated from Orleans.

During the next five weeks, Joan and the French commanders led the French into a string of stunning victories over the English. On July 16, the royal army reached Reims, which opened its gates to Joan and the Dauphin. The next day, Charles VII was crowned king of France, with Joan standing nearby holding up her standard: an image of Christ in judgment. After the ceremony, she knelt before Charles, joyously calling him king for the first time.

On September 8, the king and Joan attacked Paris. During the battle, Joan carried her standard up to the earthworks and called on the Parisians to surrender the city to the king of France. She was wounded but continued to rally the king’s troops until Charles ordered an end to the unsuccessful siege. That year, she led several more small campaigns, capturing the town of Saint-Pierre-le-Moitier. In December, Charles ennobled Joan, her parents, and her brothers.

In May 1430, the Burgundians laid siege to Compiegne, and Joan stole into the town under the cover of darkness to aid in its defense. On May 23, while leading a sortie against the Burgundians, she was captured. The Burgundians sold her to the English, and in March 1431 she went on trial before ecclesiastical authorities in Rouen on charges of heresy. Her most serious crime, according to the tribunal, was her rejection of church authority in favor of direct inspiration from God. After refusing to submit to the church, her sentence was read on May 24: She was to be turned over to secular authorities and executed. Reacting with horror to the pronouncement, Joan agreed to recant and was condemned instead to perpetual imprisonment.

Ordered to put on women’s clothes, she obeyed, but a few days later the judges went to her cell and found her dressed again in male attire. Questioned, she told them that St. Catherine and St. Margaret had reproached her for giving in to the church against their will. She was found to be a relapsed heretic and on May 29 ordered handed over to secular officials. On May 30, Joan, 19 years old, was burned at the stake at the Place du Vieux-Marche in Rouen. Before the pyre was lit, she instructed a priest to hold high a crucifix for her to see and to shout out prayers loud enough to be heard above the roar of the flames.

As a source of military inspiration, Joan of Arc helped turn the Hundred Years' War firmly in France’s favor. By 1453, Charles VII had reconquered all of France except for Calais, which the English relinquished in 1558. In 1920, Joan of Arc, one of the great heroes of French history, was recognized as a Christian saint by the Roman Catholic Church. Her feast day is May 30.