Today in Patriots History
Marcus Cannon and other May 6 Birthdays
Happy 36th birthday to Marcus Cannon
Born May 6, 1988 in Odessa, Texas
Patriot OT, 2011-current; uniform #61
Pats 5th round (138th overall) selection of the 2011 draft, from TCU
On April 20, 2011, just days before Texas Christian offensive line prospect Marcus Cannon was to enter the NFL Draft, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a treatable form of cancer found in lymph tissue. A little more than one week later, the Pats selected Cannon in the fifth round (138th overall) of the draft with the knowledge of his illness. The Patriots placed Cannon on the Reserve/Non Football Injury list to start the 2011 season while he received treatment and recovered. Cannon was activated to the 53-man roster later that year and is now set to enter his ninth season with the team.
Cannon made a full recovery and was named the Patriots 2011 Ed Block Courage Award winner - an annual award presented to select players in the National Football League who are voted by their teammates as role models of inspiration, sportsmanship and courage.
Marcus Cannon played in 124 regular season games with 77 starts: 72 at right tackle, three at left guard and two at left tackle. He also played in 19 playoff games, with the Pats going 14-5 in those contests - and earned three Super Bowl rings.
The draft picks used on Cannon and Stevan Ridley were acquired in draft day trade with Houston. In exchange the Texans received a second round (60th overall) pick used on safety Brandon Harris - who has been out of the league since 2014, after a 42-game career with zero starts. That trade was a big win for the Patriots.
After overcoming non-Hodgkins lymphoma and a draft-day slide, Marcus Cannon proved himself at right tackle, leading to a five-year extension.
www.espn.com
Happy 63rd birthday to Derwin Williams
Born May 6, 1961 in Brownwood, Texas
Patriot WR, 1984-1987; uniform #82
Pats 7th round (192nd overall) selection of the 1984 draft, from New Mexico
When the Patriots traded QB Matt Cavanaugh to San Francisco they received three draft picks; the first one was used on Derwin Williams.
On August 24, 1984 Williams was playing pretty well in a preseason game. Head Coach Ron Meyer instructed him to go on the field with the kickoff unit, hit somebody, fall down and pretend he had a concussion.
Williams did so, and spent his rookie season on injured reserve. Meyer succeeded in stashing Williams on IR, preventing another team from claiming him off waivers. Problem was the NFL found out, and penalized the Pats for Meyer's chicanery. Unfortuntely the NFL found out, and the Patriots were docked a 1986 third round draft pick as a result.
Derwin Williams appeared in 42 regular season games plus two playoff games with the Pats. Down on the depth chart behind Stanley Morgan and Irving Fryar, he was limited to just one start. With limited reps he had 14 receptions for 228 yards, his final game coming in a 22-17 playoff loss to Denver on January 4, 1987. His primary contributions were on special teams, where he one season he had 15 tackles and a fumble recovery.
In his post-NFL career Williams settled in Pawtucket, RI and went on to become an official in Conference USA, as well as officiating some ECAC and high school games.
NFL teams hiding players on the injured reserve list can now pay a price....
www.upi.com
Happy 60th birthday to Mike "Scooter" McGruder
Born May 6, 1964 in Cleveland
Patriot CB, 1996-1997; uniform #27
Signed as an unrestricted veteran free agent on April 5, 1996
The final two of Scooter's nine NFL seasons were in Foxboro, where he played in 17 games. McGruder was on the Patriot AFC Championship team that lost to Green Bay in the Super Bowl.
Put Yourself In Her Shoes - About Mike "Scooter" McGruder
Before the extended coronavirus break, retired NFL cornerback, Kent State University great and Heights hero Michael "Scooter" McGruder offered what proved to be some very timely advice when he shared some of his "secrets" to success.
www.cleveland.com
Happy 53rd birthday to Rob Holmberg
Born May 6, 1971 in McKeesport, PA
Patriot LB, 2000-2001; uniform #47
Signed as an unrestricted veteran free agent early in the 2000 offseason
Rob Holmberg appeared in all 16 games for the Pats in 2000 with five starts, and two more games in October of 2001. He played in 112 games over eight NFL seasons with seven different teams, almost exclusively as a special teamer and backup MLB.
Happy 59th birthday to Howard Feggins
Born May 6, 1965 in South Hill, Virginia
Patriot CB, 1988-1989; uniform #27
Signed as an unrestricted rookie free agent on May 3, 1988
Feggins appeared in eleven games with the Pats in '89, with one interception; he also played in NFL Europe and the CFL. Since 1991 Feggins has been a coach at the pro, college and high school levels; in 2023 he was the head coach for D-2 St Augustine's University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In his lawsuit, Howard Feggins alleges he was silenced when bringing up concerns about how the program was run
abc11.com
Happy 33rd birthday to Josh Boyce
Born May 6, 1991 in Copperas Cove, Texas
Patriot WR, 2013-2014; uniform #82
Pats 4th round (102nd overall) selection of the 2013 draft, from TCU
As a rookie Boyce played in nine games, returning 21 kickoffs and catching nine passes on 19 targets for 121 yards. He spent most of 2014 on the practice squad, activated for the final regular season game with no stats; he was a healthy inactive for all three playoff games. Boyce was IR-waived at the end of the 2015 training camp. He spent most of the 2016 off-season with Indy before being cut after the first preseason game. Boyce spent 2016 on Cleveland's practice squad and was cut at the end of training camp in 2017. He has not played any pro football since then.
His final NFL stat line (all with the Pats) reads 10 games played, 9 receptions on 19 targets for 121 yards (13.4 ypc) with a long of 30 yards, and zero touchdowns. Boyce also had nine kickoff returns for 214 yards (23.8 ypr) with a long of 41, for a total of 335 all-purpose yards.
On a side note, he draft picks used on Boyce, Jamie Collins and Logan Ryan were obtained from Minnesota in exchange for New England's first round pick, which the Vikings used on future Patriot Cordarrelle Patterson. More trivia: Boyce's high school quarterback was Robert Griffin III.
Happy 38th birthday to Markus Kuhn
Born May 6, 1986 in Weinheim, Germany
Patriot DT, 2016; uniform #94
Signed as an unrestricted free agent on April 7, 2016
Kuhn was with the Pats in the 2016 off season, but was let go as part of final roster cuts in early September. He had previously played with the Giants for four seasons, but never seemed to fully overcome a 2015 knee injury.[/I]
May 6, 2024:
The Patriots took their first step toward finalizing their 2024 quarterback room Monday, as they’re reportedly waiving backup Nathan Rourke.
www.nbcsportsboston.com
Other pro football players with New England connections born on May 6:
George Tarasovic, 1930-2019
- Boston College
DE spent 13 seasons in the NFL, playing in 155 games, primarily with the Steelers.
Kid Hill, 1904-1973
- Brighton MA, Portland (Maine) Prep, Amherst College
Tackle with the Giants back in the twenties
