Today in Patriots History: January 28
Happy 35th Birthday to Stephen Gostkowski
Born January 28, 1984 in Baton Rouge
Patriot Kicker, 2006 - present
Pats 4th round (118th overall) selection of the 2006 draft, from Memphis
- Two-time Super Bowl Champion
- Two-time First Team All Pro
- Four-Time Pro Bowl
- Four-Time AFC Special Teams Player of the Month
- Six-Times AFC Special Teams Player of the Week
- Five-Time NFL Season Leader in Points Scored
- Three-Time NFL Season Leader in Field Goals Made
Patriot Franchise Records
Ghost ranks first in franchise career rankings for field goals, field goal attempts, field goal percentage (min 20 attempts), extra points, extra point attempts, extra point percentage (min 75 attempts), and points scored. His 1,743 points scored is 585 more than any other player in Patriot franchise history.
Career NFL Rankings
- 1,743 Points Scored is 12th all-time
- 87.38% Field Goal Accuracy is 3rd all-time
- 367 Field Goals is 15th all-time
- 420 Field Goal Attempts is 28th all-time
- 642 Extra Points is 8th all-time
- 649 Extra Point Attempts is 8th all-time
Other Milestones
- First player in NFL history to have five separate 150-point seasons
- Is one of only three players to lead the league in scoring five times
- 158 points scored in 2013 is 5th most for a kicker in NFL history
- 158 points scored in 2013 broke a 49-year old team record
- Ranks 6th in NFL history with 38 field goals made in a single season (2013)
- Appears four times among the top 20 list of field goals made in a single season
- Ranks 26th among active players with 200 regular season games played
Playoffs
- 198 points scored is 2nd all-time
- 27 Playoff Games is 4th all-time
- 87 extra points made is most all-time
- 91 extra point attempts is most all-time
- 37 field goals made is 3rd all-time
- 41 field goal attempts is 3rd all-time
- 15 extra points made in a single postseason is 4th most (2014)
- 8 field goals made in a single postseason is 7th most (2006)
Stephen Gostkowski Biography - Patriots.com
Happy 57th Birthday to Rod McSwain
Born January 28, 1962 in High Shoals, NC
Patriot defensive back, 1984-1990; uniform #23
McSwain was a third round draft pick out of Clemson by Atlanta in '84. The
Falcons traded the rookie to the Pats on August 27 as they attempted to get down to the 49 man roster limit, in
exchange for New England's 8th round 1985 pick.
Over seven seasons McSwain played in 90 regular season games and five playoff games with the Patriots. He primarily was a special teams ace, occasionally filling in at corner if Raymond Clayborn or Ronnie Lippett were injured; 1990 was his only year as a starter, at strong safety. Despite multiple shoulder surgeries and hamstring injuries over his career, McSwain was a solid player and part of the swarming defense that squished the fish and won the AFC Championship in 1986.
McSwain did have some key plays over his career. In '86 he blocked a punt against the Rams and returned it 31 yards for TD; then in final regular season game at Miami on 12-22 he intercepted a Dan Marino pass with 36 seconds to seal a 34-27 victory. Two weeks later McSwain picked off John Elway, though the Patriots lost that playoff game at Denver.
Statistics
- 90 regular season games played
- 6 interceptions
- 2 fumble recoveries
- 5 playoff games (3-2), with one interception
Rod McSwain - Patriots.com
Rodney McSwain | ArenaFan.com
Since 1995 McSwain has been employed by
Carolina Container in Hickory NC, where he is the
Director of Human Resources.
Happy 52nd Birthday to Tommy Hodson
Born January 28, 1967 in LaFourche Parish, LA
Patriot QB 1990-1992; uniform #13
Pats 3rd round (59th overall) selection of the 1990 draft, from LSU
Living in SEC country at that time, I was very excited when the Patriots drafted Hodson. He never lived up to those hopes as a pro quarterback - though to be fair, he was in a no-win situation with the Victor Kiam era Pats.
Hodson appeared in 32 games for the Patriots with 12 starts; the Pats went 1-11 in those games. To get an idea of how bad the team was, Hodson was sacked 41 times for -300 yards - despite only having 315 pass attempts.
Tommy Hodson Bio - LSU Tigers Athletics
Arguably the best quarterback in LSU history ... One of the most prolific passers in the history of the Southeastern Conference ... Chosen All-SEC for four years in a row by at least one of the major wire services ... Passed for 9,115 yards in his career, becoming the first 9,000-yard passer in SEC history ... Holds the LSU record for total yards with 8,938 (-117 yards rushing, 9,115 yards passing) ... Maintains the LSU record for touchdown passes in a career with 69 ... Averaged the most yards per game passing over a career in LSU history with 203.1 yards per game over 44 contests ... First player in SEC history to throw for over 2,000 yards in four straight seasons ... Threw for over 200 or more yards 26 times ... Started all but one game over his four year career ... Leads all LSU quarterbacks with 31 career victories ...
A Mathews, La. native, his numbers in the aforementioned categories were also the best in the SEC when he finished in 1989. In his first start, he guided the Tigers to a 35-17 upset victory against No. 7-ranked Texas A&M, and later etched his name into LSU lore permanently with the game-winning touchdown pass with 1:47 left in the "Earthquake Game" victory against No. 4 Auburn in 1988.
Hodson was also a two-sport star at Central Lafourche High School, guiding the Trojans to a 13-1 record and passing for 4,361 yards and 36 TDs as a senior. As a basketball player, he averaged 27.4 points a game his senior and had serious recruiting offers in that sport.
(From February 2005):
Catching Up With Tommy Hodson | Boston.com
Hodson showed signs of what made him legendary at LSU with the Patriots, but never had a consistent opportunity to play an entire season. During his time with New England, Hodson played under Rod Rust in 1990 and **** MacPherson in 1991 and 1992. The team struggled, going 1-15 under Rust and 6-10 and 2-14 under MacPherson, but despite the struggles Hodson enjoyed his time here.
“I loved it there and Boston is a great city,” said Hodson “I grew up in the south and love the south, but it was a great experience to be in the northeast because it’s a different culture, different climate and there is a lot of history. “I had some great teammates and had a great experience. I met a lot of nice people and unfortunately we didn’t have a lot of success when I was there.”
After being released by the Patriots, Hodson was picked up by the Miami Dolphins, where he spent half of the 1993 season and one week in 1994. Hodson then played one more year in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints (1995). “Although I didn’t have great success as a professional I played six years and it was a great honor to play in the NFL,” said Hodson. “I am grateful I was able to play six years.”
As far as the current Patriots, Hodson has enjoyed watching them win two of the last three Super Bowls and feels they are the pick to win the Super Bowl once again this year over the Philadelphia Eagles. “Certainly it would be great if I could be on some of these Patriots teams now,” said Hodson. “I enjoy watching them and pull for them every week. I am a Patriots fan.”
Following his professional football career, a friend guided Hodson into a career in financial services. After six years in wealth management, Hodson felt ready to make a change.
It was then that he and Jamie Howard, a fellow LSU quarterback, teamed up on Howard’s business idea. Howard’s relatives own Howard Industries—the largest manufacturer and distributor of transformers in the country—and needed manufacturer representatives in Louisiana and Arkansas. JTH Agencies was born.
Ten years later the company is growing, now representing 10 different companies and ready to hire more employees.
After being released by the Bengals, the Pats signed Adams on July 24, 2008. He was waived as part of roster cuts on August 30, then signed to the practice squad on September 1.
In 2009 Adams was again waived during roster cutdowns and re-signed to the practice squad. On December 9 the Pats placed CB Bret Lockett on injured reserve, and promoted Adams to the 53-man roster. He played in two games before being waived on December 31. He had two tackles, one solo in victories over Carolina and Buffalo.
Other pro football players born today with New England connections:
Fred DiRenzo turns 58 (born 1/28/61)
Went to college at New Haven
Was a FB in 1987 with the Giants
Enid Thomas would be 122 (1/28/97 - 10/2/68)
Was a wingback for the 1926 Hartford Blues
Best football name born January 28:
Tubby Rousch
Wingback and guard for the Toledo Maroons
Other notable pro football players born today:
Charlie Krueger (82): Pro Bowl DL for SF from 1959-1973
Daunte Culpepper (42): Pro Bowl QB for Vikings and others, 1999-2009
Jon Jansen (43): Washington OT from 1999-2009
Today in Pro Football History:
Packers Hire Vince Lombardi
Today in Pro Football History
January 28, 1959: Vince Lombardi Hired as Head Coach/GM of Packers
Lombardi was not the most innovative head coach in pro football history, but he was outstanding at adapting other coaches’ methods and was a great teacher and motivator. When it came to the fundamentals, and performing the basics well, Lombardi’s teams excelled. The power sweep was the signature play of his offense over the years, and the Packers ran it with skill because they practiced it relentlessly and executed with precision.
Over nine seasons, the Packers compiled an 89-29-4 regular season record under Lombardi’s guidance, for a .754 winning percentage, and were 9-1 in the postseason. Considering his significant influence on coaching methods and the game in general, his nine years with Green Bay (he also coached one last year in Washington in 1969) seems surprisingly brief. But he set a standard for pro football coaches that others in the years since have sought to measure up to; it is only fitting that the Super Bowl winner’s trophy is named after him.
