Today in Patriots History

[bormio]

Happy 31st Bday, Jules! Of course that means you are too old to play WR in the NFL and that half the people on this board want to see you in SF in 2018.

 

[supafly]

Marcus Dupree (born May 22, 1964) was a top prospect running back, whom the old Boston Breakers of the USFL tried to land. They did, but only after they moved to New Orleans; something about having trouble getting an agreement to play in one of the larger local stadiums...never heard that one before...but they were pretty good their one season here ('83)

Wow, I didn't even realize that Boston had a USFL team. I remember watching as a kid.

 

[jmt57]

Wow, I didn't even realize that Boston had a USFL team. I remember watching as a kid.

If I recall correctly the Breakers were pretty good but very short-lived (only one or two years) due to their losing so much money.

Marcus Dupree (born May 22, 1964) was a top prospect running back, whom the old Boston Breakers of the USFL tried to land. They did, but only after they moved to New Orleans; something about having trouble getting an agreement to play in one of the larger local stadiums...never heard that one before...but they were pretty good their one season here ('83)

Thanks for the history lesson. I thought I was going senile, thinking that I could have sworn Dupree played in New England for at least one season, and (duh) finding zero on Dupree with the Pats.

 

[jmt57]

May 23:

Larry Garron, 80 (May 23, 1937)
Patriot HB, 1960-1968
Uniform #40
Four-time AFL All-Star and member of the Pats' All-Decade Team for the 1960s. In 1961 he averaged 5.6 yards per carry and then in 1962 (ironically a season that he was not an All-Star), Garron averaged 5.9 yards per carry. In '63 he totaled 1168 yards from scrimmage and led the league with 1,884 all-purpose yards; then in '64 Garron scored nine touchdowns.

In 99 games with the Patriots, Garron scored 42 touchdowns (8th most in team history) and totaled 5,483 yards from scrimmage (10th most in team history). After all these years Garron still ranks ninth all-time in team history with 2,981 yards rushing.


Other Patriots born today were less memorable.

Duane Starks, 43 (May 23, 1974)
Patriot CB, 2005
Uniform #23
After losing Ty Law in free agency, the Patriots traded a third round pick for Starks, who had been the tenth overall pick in the 1998 draft. After seven very underwhelming games he was placed on IR with a shoulder injury, and released the following February.

Jeff Carlson, 51 (May 23, 1966)
Patriot QB, 1992
Uniform #17
Carlson was one of four (Hugh Millen, Tommy Hodson, Scott Zolak) to start at QB during **** MacPherson's second year as head coach in Foxboro. He started the final two games (both losses), completing 37% of his passes with one touchdown and three picks. In the final game of the season against Miami he took a bad sack that took the Patriots out of range for what could have been a game-winning field goal. It was just as well though, because that loss gave the Pats the tiebreaker over Seattle for the first pick in the 1993 draft, and New England ended up with Drew Bledsoe rather than Rick Mirer. On a side note, both wins that season came when MacPherson was hospitalized, and Dante Scarnecchia took over head coaching duties.

Tom Toth, 55 (May 23, 1962)
Patriot G, 1985
The Pats drafted Toth in the fourth round (102nd overall) out of Western Michigan in the 1985 draft. He never made it with the Pats but did play for four years in Miami.


Players with New England area connections today:

Bruce Laird, 67 (May 23, 1950)
Went to Scituate High School and AIC in Springfield.
Was named to the Pro Bowl his rookie season when he led the NFL with 303 punt return yards. Played in 164 games with 127 starts at strong safety over twelve seasons, mostly with the Baltimore Colts, accumulating 19 interceptions and 18 fumble recoveries.

Donnie Fletcher, 27 (May 23, 1990)
CB went to Boston College, and was with the Jets for a while in 2012; since then he's been playing in the arena league.

Reggie Rust (May 23, 1909)
Tailback for the 1932 Boston Braves.


Best Football Name:
Peaches Nadolney (May 23, 1899); guard for the Packers and Milwaukee Badgers in the '20s.

Notable NFL players born today:
James Hasty (5/23/65); CB led NFL with 7 interceptions for KC in '99.
Jay Feely (5/23/76); kicked 332 field goals from 2001-2014.




Also, posthumous happy birthday wishes to my father, who was born on May 23, 1922.

 

[turkeyneck]

Wow. I can remember the Pats off-season exhibition basketball team playing our HS faculty. I remember Garron was built like a bodybuilder. Others I remember in that game were Larry Eisenhauer and Nick Buonoconti (who almost killed our vice principal - forgot he wasn't playing football for a moment.)

 

[jmt57]

Not much for May 24, other than excuse to re-watch the Patriots comeback from a 24-0 deficit to beat the Broncos.


Tony Carter, 31 (May 24, 1986)
Patriot CB, 2010
Uniform #29
After being waived-injured by Denver, the Pats signed Carter to their practice squad in early September of 2010. After Jonathan Wilhite was placed on IR with a hip injury, Carter was promoted to the 53-man roster in mid-December. He appeared in two of those three final regular season games, with a final stat line consisting of one tackle.

The Pats released Carter just prior to the start of the 2011 training camp. He later re-signed with Denver and is most well known for an unfortunate gaffe in November of 2013. The Patriots rallied from a 24-0 deficit in week 12 against the Broncos to force overtime, and then the Pats were forced to punt. Wes Welker - at this point a Denver Bronco - was the return man. Carter was also on Denver's return unit, and Welker made a late call that he would not catch the punt, alerting the return team to clear away from the ball. By that time Carter was too close, the ball bounced and hit him, and Nate Ebner recovered. The play set up a 34-31 game-winning field goal by Stephen Gostkowski to cap the comeback. Carter is now a free agent, having last been with New Orleans during the 2016 off season.



Classic Manning face at 4:02 and 4:48.


Troy Barnett, 46 (May 24, 1971)
Patriot DE, 1994-1996
Uniform #98
Barnett was a walk-on at UNC and also made an NFL (Pats) roster as an undrafted rookie. He was the Pats starting DE in '95 and overall appeared in 31 games for New England, with 15 starts. Bill Parcells called him 'technology' for his prowess in that area, which served him well in his post-NFL career.



Others born May 24 with New England area connections:

Zak DeOssie, 33 (5/24/84)
Went to Phillips Andover and Brown, this DeOssie was a player many NE fans thought would end up being a Patriot rather than a Giant.

Tom Lynch, 62 (5/24/55)
Lynch grew up on the south shore, attending Whitman-Hanson High School and Boston College. He was a 2nd round pick by Seattle in '77 and played guard for the Seahawks and Bills from 1977-84.

Al Cannava, 93 (5/24/24)
Grew up in Medford and went to BC; the HB/DB got in to one game for the Packers in 1950.

Swede Youngstrom (5/24/1897)
Grew up in Waltham and went to Dartmouth; was an offensive lineman for several teams in the twenties, playing in 96 games.

May 24 is also the birth date of Derrick Gaffney, Jabbar's father.

 

[jmt57]

May 25

Sean Farrell, 57 (5/25/60)
Patriot LG, 1987-1989
Uniform #62
Farrell was an accidental first round pick by Tampa Bay in 1982, and started at right guard for the Bucs for five seasons. Tired of losing for miserly Hugh Culverhouse, Farrell's request to get out of Tampa was granted as the Pats traded draft picks for his rights. He started 43 games at right guard for the Pats before shoulder surgery kept him on the injured reserve list for most of 1990. The Patriots attempted to reactivate him but in doing so exposed him to waivers, and Denver claimed him.

Kevin O'Connell, 32 (5/25/85)
Patriot QB, 2008
Uniform #5
Patriot third round (94th overall) selection out of San Diego State in the 2008 draft.
KOC was drafted as a likely successor in the backup QB role to Matt Cassel, who would be a free agent in 2009. O'Connell appeared in two games, going 4/6 for 23 yards, but did not make it out of training camp in 2009. In a preseason week three loss to Washington, Tom Brady hit Randy Moss for a pair of touchdown passes before leaving with a shoulder injury on a hit by Albert Haynesworth. O'Connell came in and went 3/10 with two picks. Undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer and veteran free agent Andrew Walter had both outperformed O'Connell, and he was released prior to the fourth preseason game.

Over the next four years O'Connell spent time with the Lions, Jets, Dolphins, Jets again, and Chargers. Other than being named captain for a game against the Patriots (a typical Rex Ryan failure in psychology), O'Connell never appeared on the field in another NFL game. He is now in his third year of coaching in the NFL: he was the quarterbacks coach for the Browns in 2015, a SF coaching assistant last season, and this year is the QB coach for Washington.

Shawn Bowens, 49 (May 25, 1968)
Patriot G, 1990
Patriot ninth round (226th overall) selection out of Nebraska Wesleyan in the 1990 draft.
The Division 3 prospect never made it with the Pats, but did play for five years in the NFL with Detroit and Jacksonville, getting in to 73 games with 42 starts.

Kent Carter (5/25/1950 - 12/12/2010)
Patriot LB, 1974
Uniform #51
Carter was a late (422nd overall) draft pick by the Cardinals in 1972 out of USC. He played in two games for the Pats in '74. Carter later became an officer in the LAPD, and died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 60.

Donnell Smith, 68 (May 25, 1949)
Patriot DE, 1973-1974
Uniform #65
Appeared in 21 games for the Pats in a backup and special teams role for Chuck Fairbanks.

Thomas Fussell, 72 (May 25, 1945)
Patriot DE, 1967
Uniform #83
Patriot 8th round (206th overall) selection in the 1967 draft out of LSU.



Others born May 25 with New England area connections:

Jerome Cunningham, 26 (May 25, 1991); TE for Giants and Titans
Born and raised in Waterbury CT.

Frank Morris (5/25/1918 - 10/16/1988); FB for 1942 Chicago Bears
Born in Newton, went to high school at Our Lady's (Newton Catholic) and Boston University.

Bob Haas (5/25/1906); single wing back for the 1929 Dayton Triangles, Haas went to Worcester State.

Archie Golembeski (5/25/1900 - 3/9/1976); G/E/C for the Providence Steam Rollers in the twenties. Went to Worcester Classical High School and Holy Cross. He was the Steam Rollers' head coach in 1925, and was also the first basketball coach at Providence College.


Other notable pro football players born today include
- Cookie Gilchrist
- Brian Urlacher
- Tarik Glenn
- Keith Hamilton
- Shawne Merriman

 

[jmt57]

May 26

Mark Anderson, 34 (May 26, 1983)
Patriot DE, 2011
Uniform #95
Anderson had twelve sacks as a rookie for the Bears in 2006, but was unable to repeat that productivity over the next four seasons. The Patriots signed him as a veteran free agent with low expectations, and he came through. In 2011 Anderson had ten sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery, and played in every game. In Super Bowl 46 he had five tackles and one and a half sacks. The Bills signed Anderson early in free agency the following March to a four-year $20 million contract; he played only five games for Buffalo, landing on IR and then being released the following off season.


Maugaula Tuitele, 39 (May 26, 1978)
Patriot LB, 2000-2002
Uniform #96 ('00), #47 ('01), #59 ('02)
The Colorado State special teamer was the original Ventrone during his tenure with the Patriots. When he wasn't being cut or re-signed, Tuitele did manage to get in to five games over three seasons with the Patriots.


John McCormick (May 26, 1937)
Belmont native went to Boston College and then UMass. McCormick was the Vikings punter in 1962 and a backup QB with Denver from 1963-68. In his first start the Broncos scored 50 points, a record that would stand for 51 years.


Also born May 26:
- Dan Pastorini
- Wesley Walker
- Greg Lloyd

 

[jmt57]

May 27

Tony Collins, 58 (May 27, 1959)
Patriot RB, 1981-1987
Uniform #33
Collins was a second round (47th overall) selection out of East Carolina by the Patriots in the 1981 draft. He rushed for 4647 yards with New England (third most in franchise history) and 32 touchdowns, which is tied with Curtis Martin for sixth most. Collins also had 1,520 touches (third most), 7,003 yards from scrimmage (fifth) and 8,353 all-purpose yardage (sixth) with the Patriots. His 83 games started is tied with Babe Parilli and Russ Francis as seventh most in team history, and Collins' 44 touchdowns ranks seventh on the career leader board. Collins was named to the '83 and '84 Pro Bowls, and is a member of the New England Patriots All-Decade Team for the 1980s.

Former Patriot Great Tony Collins Now Making The Right Choices - Pats Pub


Todd Collins, 47 (May 27, 1970)
Patriot LB, 1992-1998
Uniform #54
Pats 3rd round (64th overall) selection in 1992 out of Carson-Newman
Collins had a scholarship to Georgia, but after an injury he transferred to Tennessee and then NAIA Carson-Newman. He upheld the tradition of Patriot linebackers wearing #54 well, playing in 76 games with 53 starts. Collins had 92 tackles in 1993 and 99 in 1997, taking a leave of absence for the entire 1995 season at the age of 25. He played in two Superbowls: for the Patriots in their loss to Green Bay, and after he signed as a free agent for St Louis in 1999, in their win over Tennessee.

That departure may have been Collins' greatest contribution, as the number of free agent losses versus free agent signings resulted in the Patriots receiving a compensatory draft pick, number 199 in the 2000 draft.


Bo Robinson, 61 (May 27, 1956)
Patriot FB, 1984
Uniform #41
Robinson was a special teamer, appearing in all 16 games with one start in '84. His 3rd quarter touchdown reception gave the Pats a lead they would not relinquish in week 5 at the Jets.


Nick Lowery, 61 (May 27, 1956)
Patriot K, 1978
Uniform #7
Undrafted out of Dartmouth, Lowery appeared in two games for the Pats in '78, filling in while John Smith had a thigh injury. He was cut 11 times by eight teams before replacing Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud in Kansas City. Lowery went on to kick 383 field goals and score 1,711 points during his 18-year career.


Frank Bianchini, 56 (May 27, 1961)
Patriot RB, 1987
Uniform #30
Bianchini played in the final strike-replacement game in '87 with no stats. In 1988 he joined the New England Steamrollers of the Arena Football League as a defensive back, his first of five seasons playing arena ball.


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Sean McHugh, 35 (5/27/82); born in Springfield MA.
FB/TE played in 40 games with Green Bay, Detroit and Pittsburgh from 2004-08. A 7th round pick by Tennessee in '04, he played in all 3 playoff games en route to winning a ring with the Steelers following the '08 season.

Tom Budrewicz, 79 (5/27/38); grew up in Greenfield MA and went to Brown.
Guard got in to a couple of games for the 1961 New York Titans.

Larry Ellis (5/27/22); grew up in York Maine and also went to Cheshire Academy in CT.
All-American LB played at Syracuse played in four games for the Lions in 1948 before blowing out his knee.

Dimp Halloran (5/27/1896); Framingham native and early Boston College star.
Tailback for the Hartford Blues in 1926, the only year Connecticut had an NFL team.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- Tom Dean (5/27/1923); LT for the 1946-47 Boston Yanks.
- Dale Waters (5/27/1909); RT for the 1932-33 Boston Braves.
- Lloyd Young (5/27/1903); G/E for the 1925-27 Providence Steamrollers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- Jackie Slater, 63 (May 27, 1954)
Better known by some as Matt Slater's dad, the elder Slater was named to seven Pro Bowls at tackle for the Rams, playing in 259 games before being inducted to the Hall of Fame.

- Walt Kiesling (5/27/1903)
Two-way guard was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1920s, spent 34 years in the NFL as a player and coach, and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His stubborn old school techniques led to his downfall however, finishing his career with a 30-55-5 record as a head coach. Kiesling is perhaps most well known for being the guy that never gave native Johnny Unitas a chance during his entire training camp in Pittsburgh, cutting Unitas and leading to his being signed by the Baltimore Colts. From that point on it would be 17 years before the Steelers would make the playoffs.

- Antonio Freeman, 45 (5/27/1972)
Caught 477 passes for 7251 yards, and had an 81 yard TD reception early in Green Bay's Superbowl victory over New England. Also had one of the greatest catches ever on MNF.

- Danny Wuerffel, 43 (5/27/1974)
Won the college football national championship and Heisman Trophy for the fun-n-gun Florida Gators in 1996.

 

[jmt57]

May 28

Doug Satcher, 72 (May 28, 1945)
Patriot LB, 1966-1968
Uniform #58
Pats 9th round (75th overall) selection in the 1966 AFL draft, out of Southern Miss.
Satcher played in all 42 games during his three years with the Patriots, and was the starting RLB in '68. He was the lone bright spot in what was the worst draft class in franchise history.


Bill Stiegel (May 28, 1936)
Patriot LB/G, 1960
Uniform #72
Played in five games for the Pats in their inaugural season.


Eric Schubert, 55 (May 28, 1962)
Patriot K, 1987
Uniform #1
In 1985 Bill Parcells was in a bind. In anticipation of his starting kicker being ready to play again after an injury, he waived the interim kicker. Problem was the starter wasn't yet ready to play. Schubert had been with the G-men in training camp, so Parcells re-signed him, taking Schubert away from a nearby high school where he had been coaching football. Schubert delivered, booting five field goals in a 22-20 win and turned the temporary assignment into a year-long deal.

Unfortunately the rest of his NFL career was not that great. The next year he signed with the Cardinals and connected on just three of 11 field goal attempts. The Pats signed him as a replacement player but he played only one game: Tony Franklin crossed the line in the second week of the strike, and Schubert's NFL career was over.

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Bruce Taylor, 69 (May 28, 1948)
Boston Universty, class of 1970
Taylor was the greatest football player in BU history and MVP of the 9-1 1969 Terrier football team. He was a first round (17th overall) selection by San Francisco in the 1970 draft, and was a starting corner for the Niners through most of the '70s. Taylor led the NFL in punt return yardage his rookie season, and made the Pro Bowl the following year. He played in 114 games (including five post season games), with 18 interceptions and ten fumble recoveries.

Eugene Robinson, 54 (May 28, 1963)
Weaver High School, Hartford CT, class of 1981
Robinson was a three-time Pro Bowl FS for Seattle, Green Bay, Atlanta and Carolina from 1985-2000, and won a ring with the Packers in SB31 versus the Patriots. Two years later with Atlanta he made a game-saving play in the NFCCG, breaking up a sure TD pass intended for Randy Moss. Two weeks later he became famous - or infamous - for being arrested for attempting to hire an undercover cop posing as a prostitute on the night before the Superbowl. Robinson played in 252 games (plus 11 playoff games). His 57 career interceptions ranks 13th in NFL history.

David Shula, 58 (May 28, 1959)
Dartmouth College, class of 1981
Don's son spent one season with the Colts as a PR/WR. He then worked with his dad in Miami as a WR and QB coach, and became Cincinnati's head coach in 1992. While there the younger Shula set two NFL records. He was the youngest (32) HC in the modern era. The other was a record in futility that may never be broken, losing 50 games faster than any other head coach (71 games) in NFL history.. He was mercifully fired in 1996, finishing with a career record of 19-52 (.268). Since then he has been out of football, working as an executive for Shula's Steak House.

- Frank Nelson (5/28/23); single wing back for the 1948 Boston Yanks.
- Bill Paschal (5/28/21); FB/KR for the 1947-1948 Boston Yanks.
- Dave Smukler (5/28/14); FB/LB for the 1944 Boston Yanks.


Also born on May 28:
- Jim Thorpe (5/28/1888); All-American, College Football Hall of Famer, Pro Football Hall of Famer, Olympic gold medalist, pro baseball player, and perhaps the greatest athlete ever.
- Percy Harvin (5/28/1988); as a Florida Gator, Harvin accomplished the rare feat of having over 1500 yards receiving and also over 1500 yards rushing.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

On a side note, both wins that season came when MacPherson was hospitalized, and Dante Scarnecchia took over head coaching duties.

So Scar is the answer to the question, "Who was the Pats head coach for all of their wins in '92, and the last two wins before James Busch Orthwein's assignment here by the league (purchase) and makeover?"

QUESTION: Since 1973, exactly how many seasons have the New England Patriots played with only one (1) present, former or future Patriots head coach on their coaching staff (in other words, the head coach himself)?

ANSWER: Four: 1989, 1990, 2014 and 2015. All without Scar. Yikes.

How 'bout this one?

QUESTION: Since 1975, exactly how many seasons have the New England Patriots played with none of their games all season having Bill Belichick on either sideline?

ANSWER: Ten, if you count preseason games. 1977-1983, 1985-86, 1988.

 

[jmt57]

May 29

Antwan Harris, 40 (May 29, 1977)
Patriot S, 2000-2004
Uniform #23
Patriot 6th round (187th overall) selection out of Virginia in the 2000 draft.
Harris played in 52 games for the Pats, plus all three playoff games in 2001. He is most well known for two plays, both in that 2001 post season.

In the AFCCG against Pittsburgh he took the lateral from Troy Brown following a blocked field goal attempt 49 yards for a touchdown, which put the Patriots up 21-3 midway through the third quarter. Then in Super Bowl 36 Harris hit Ricky Proehl to force a fumble that was recovered by Terrell Buckley, and returned to the 25 yard line. Five plays later Tom Brady hit David Patten for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds remaining in the first half, to give the Patriots a 14-3 lead.

Antwan Harris talks Super Bowl :: WRALSportsFan.com

A visit to Raleigh and Antwan Harris


Sean Smith, 50 (May 29, 1967)
Patriot DE, 1990-1991
Uniform #97
Pats 11th round (280th overall) selection out of Georgia Tech in the 1990 draft.
The big man (6'7") played in 17 games in a backup role for the Pats over two seasons.


Dave Preston, 62 (May 29, 1955)
Patriot RB, 1977
Pats 12th round (333rd overall) selection out of Bowling Green in the 1977 draft.
Preston spent '77 on the taxi squad, and then signed with the Broncos. He spent six years in Denver, accumulating 1,147 yards from scrimmage in 1981.


Jim Fraser, 81 (May 29, 1936)
Patriot P, 1966
Fraser appeared in all 14 games in '66, with 55 punts at an average of 37.2 yards. Prior to that he was a linebacker and punter with Denver, twice leading the league in punting, and was a three-time AFL all-star. He later became the athletic director at Middlesex School in Concord.



Notable pro football players born today:
- Bill Giaver (5/29/1897), just for the NFL teams on the résumé of this single wing back: Hammond Pros, Rock Island Independents, Racine Legion and Louisville Colonels.
- Matt Bryant (5/29/1975); 42-year old kicker began his career in 2002 in NFL Europe.
- Shaun King (5/29/1977); took over for Trent Dilfer as a rookie QB in '99, advancing to the NFCCG vs the Rams.

 

[jmt57]

May 30

Bucko Kilroy (5/30/1921 - 7/10/2007)
Patriot exec, 1971-2007
Kilroy played guard on offense, and middle guard and tackle on defense with the Eagles for 13 seasons, winning two NFL championships and being named to three Pro Bowls; he was named to the NFL's all-decade team for the 1940's. 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.

In 1979 Kilroy became New England's general manager, and then vice president from 1983-93. Kilroy then worked as a scouting consultant for the next 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".


Je'Rod Cherry, 44 (May 30, 1973)
Patriot S, 2001-2004
Uniform #30
The special teams standout signed with the Pats as a veteran free agent after having been with New Orleans for four season, Philly for one year, and with Oakland briefly in the off-season. He had 50 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 Cheery has worked as a pregame host and NFL analyst for a radio station in Cleveland.

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

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


Kamar Aiken, 28 (May 30, 1989)
Patriot WR, 2012-2013
Uniform #16
The Pats signed Aiken to their practice squad in mid-November of 2012. 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 caught on with Baltimore, appearing in 48 games with 20 starts over the last three seasons. In March he signed with the Colts as a free agent.


Jason Vega, 30 (May 30, 1987)
Patriot DE, 2013
Uniform #68
DE from Brockton and Northeastern was with the Patriots during the 2013 off season, but was cut in mid-August. He got into two games for the Cowboys in 2013, and he recently retired after several years in the CFL.


Wayne Coffey, 53 (May 30, 1964)
Patriot WR, 1987
Uniform #83
Coffey was a strike-replacement player, catching three passes for 66 yards in those three games. He later spent several seasons playing arena football.


Eddie Hare, 60 (May 30, 1957)
Patriot P, 1979
Uniform #8
Patriot 4th round (106th overall) selection out of Tulsa in the 1979 draft.
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 NFL season and was waived-injured early in 1980.



Others with New England area roots:

- **** Farley, 71 (May 30, 1946); DB for Chargers, 1968-69.
Born in Danvers, Farley went to St John's Prep and Boston University. After his two NFL seasons Farley went on to have a long career at Williams as both football and track coach, and was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
- Bob Laraba (5/30/33 - 2/16/62); LB/P/QB for Chargers, 1960-61.
Born in Sheldon Vermont, Laraba was an 8th round (95th overall) pick by Green Bay in 1959. He was killed in an automobile accident at the age of 28 shortly after the end of the '61 season.
- Ralph Pasquariello (5/30/26 - 1/5/99); FB for Rams and Cardinals, 1950-52.
Born in Boston and raised in Everett, he was the 9th overall pick in the 1950 draft.
- Jim Tyree (5/30/22 - 4/16/10); end for 1948 Boston Yanks.
- Swede Hummel (5/30/02 - 7/24/65); FB for 1926 Providence Steam Rollers.



Notable NFL players born May 30:
- Gale Sayers, 74 (May 30, 1943); Bears Hall of Fame RB.
- Lydell Mitchell, 68 (May 30, 1949); Pro Bowl RB for the Baltimore Colts in the '70s.
- John Alt, 55 (May 30, 1962); LT played 189 games for KC from 1984-96.

 

[jmt57]

A slow birth-date-day to end the month.

Steve Martin, 43 (May 31, 1974)
Patriot DT, 2002
Uniform #90
No relation to the wild and crazy comedian, the Patriots signed the 6-4, 320 veteran known for his run stopping prowess on April 3, 2002. Martin played in 14 games with five starts, but was unhappy with his decreased role and playing time - and let that be known to the New York press prior to an upcoming game against his prior team, the Jets. Aside from his not keeping these matters in house, this was also on the heels of a loss to Tennessee in which the Patriots allowed 238 yards rushing to drop to 8-6. The combination of a bit too much mouth and not enough run stuffing led to a swift pink slip, as Bill Belichick cut Martin while the ink on those newspapers was still wet.


Others with New England area connections:

- Jim Del Gaizo, 70 (May 31, 1947); QB 1972-1974.
Born in Everett and alum of Revere High School class of '65, Del Gaizo got a ring as a backup QB with the '72 Dolphins.
- John LoVetere (5/31/36-10/27/12); DT 1959-65.
Born in Boston, made the Pro Bowl in '63 and played in 77 games for the Rams and Giants.
- Colonel James 'Big Jim' Landrigan (5/31/23-6/24/74); offensive lineman for Colts and Steelers. Went to Wakefield High School, Holy Cross and Dartmouth.



Notable NFL players born today:
- Joe Namath, 74
- Richard 'Batman' Wood, 64
- Norm Johnson, 57
- Lorenzo Alexander, 34
- Jordy Nelson, 32

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

In the AFCCG against Pittsburgh he took the lateral from Troy Brown following a blocked field goal attempt 49 yards for a touchdown, which put the Patriots up 21-3 midway through the third quarter.

Now THAT play is up there in the top ten plays in the history of the team. I know Troy's lateral was the key, but Antwan finished. I could sit and watch it over and over all day...

 

[jmt57]

June 1, 2002: the demolition of Foxboro Stadium, which had begun in February a couple weeks after the AFCCG victory over Pittsburgh, was officially completed.



Larry Centers, 49 (June 1, 1968)
Patriot FB, 2003
Uniform #31
Centers was one of the best pass receiving backs in the history of pro football. Unfortunately he was 35 years old and had lost a step when he signed with New England, with his primary contribution coming from his still prolific blocking skills. The Pats signed Centers at the start of training camp and he beat out Patrick Pass and Fred McCrary as the number one fullback to begin the 2003 season.

Centers had 54 yards from scrimmage on five carries and four receptions in the week one 'they hate their coach' loss to Buffalo; that would turn out to be his most statistically productive game of the year. The Patriots cut Centers in order to activate Tully Banta-Cain from PUP after a week six 17-6 victory over the Giants, where he had one carry for a loss of two yards and no receptions on two targets.

The Pats waived WR J.J. Stokes and re-signed Centers in mid-December for the final three games of the regular season. After the Colts had scored to cut the lead to 15-7 in the AFC Championship Game, Centers had a critical 28-yard catch-and-run that helped set up an Adam Vinatiei field goal and give the Pats an 11-point lead.

Centers retired after earning his first super bowl ring in the victory over Carolina. His 827 career receptions is most for any running back in NFL history, and at the time it ranked 7th most in league history; at one point he caught passes in 128 consecutive games. Centers was at his peak from 1994-96 when he scored 20 touchdowns and racked up 3,390 yards from scrimmage.


Bob Bleier, 53 (June 1, 1964)
Patriot QB, 1987
Uniform #10
The cousin of Rocky Bleier was New England's starting quarterback when the NFL players went on strike in '87 and replacement players were used for three games. Bleier still ranks first in University of Richmond school history in most passing categories, but installing a productive pass offense in such a short time with no veterans was impossible for the replacements in '87. He is now a financial adviser and active in youth charitable organizations in western New York.


Jon Williams, 56 (June 1, 1961)
Patriot KR/RB, 1984-1985
Uniform #44
Pats 3rd round (70th overall) selection in the 1984 draft, out of Penn State.
Williams had a rough childhood: his father was in prison on a murder charge when he was nine, and three of his six siblings wound up being drug addicts. He somehow persevered and was part of a national championship team at Penn State. Unfortunately he blew out his knee his rookie season, and his pro football career lasted only nine games. Since then he has used his life experience to council at risk boys on making the right choices, and works in sales at Federal Express.


Cedric Jones, 57 (June 1, 1960)
Patriot WR, 1982-1990
Uniform #83
Pats 3rd round (56th overall) selection in the 1982 draft, out of Duke.
Jones played in 120 games over nine seasons with the Patriots, scoring 16 touchdowns on 191 receptions for 2,703 yards. At that time he ranked 9th in career franchise receiving yardage (it is 20th now), 9th in receptions (20th) and 10th in TD receptions (22nd). Jones averaged 14.2 yards per reception but did not get a whole lot of passes thrown his way, as he was typically the fourth option after Stanley Morgan, Irving Fryar and RB Tony Collins.

Jones developed a niche as a trusted possession receiver. His best season was in 1989 when he had 48 receptions for 670 yards and six touchdowns. Part of his post-NFL career includes being the athletic director at the New York Athletic Club, catering in part to athletes focusing on the Olympics.

Former Patriot WR, Cedric Jones Interview | Pro Interviews

Where are they now? Cedric Jones | patriots.com


Joe Biscaha, 80 (June 1, 1937)
Patriot E, 1960
Uniform #34
After retiring from football in 1961, Biscaha spent 35 years as a teacher, coach and school administrator in Pasaic County, New Jersey.



Joe Costello, 57 (June 1, 1960)
Grew up in Stratford CT and went to Central Connecticut State.
LB played 31 games for Falcons and Raiders from 1986-89 and also spent some time in the CFL and USFL.



Other notable football players born June 1:
- Alan Ameche, 4-time Pro Bowl RB and Heisman Trophy winner.
- Ki Aldrich, 1st overall pick in '39 and C/LB/G for Cardinals and Washington.
- Santana Moss, WR with 10,283 career receiving yards - and cousin to Patriot RB James White.

 

[jmt57]

Clay Pickering, 55 (June 2, 1961)
Patriot WR, 1987
Uniform #48
The 6'5" Pickering played both football and basketball in college, and was one of four Maine Black Bears to play for the Pats, though it was brief. After being Ventroned by the Bears and Bengals for three years, Pickering joined the Patriots for the final strike/replacement player game in '87, with one catch for ten yards.


Others with New England area connections:
Pat Hughes, 69 (June 2, 1947); Boston University class of 1970
The Everett native was a captain of BU's 9-1 1969 team that went to the Pasadena Bowl. The LB played in 141 games over ten NFL seasons with the Giants and Saints.

Mike Evans, 49 (June 2, 1967)
Evans went to Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, and was a DT for Kansas City in 1992.

Harry Curran (June 2, 1894)
Marlboro native and UMass alum was a halfback for the 1920-21 Chicago Cardinals.


From the wayback machine:
- Andy Kowalski (6/2/20); end for the 1945 Boston Yanks.
- Steve Sierocinski (6/2/23); tackle for the 1946 Boston Yanks.


Some NFL players born today:
- Andy McCollum (6/2/70); C/G played in 199 games from '95-'08.
- Garo Yepremian (6/2/44); two-time All-Pro kicker is most well known for his ill-advised Super Bowl pass.
- Hoby Brenner (6/2/59); 13-season TE for the Saints.
- Lawrence McCutcheon (6/2/50); RB gained 8,377 yards from scrimmage from '72-'81, mostly with the Rams.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Former Patriot WR, Cedric Jones Interview | Pro Interviews

Where are they now? Cedric Jones | patriots.com

We had arrived in New Orleans for the Super Bowl, and the players were crowded up at the front desk to check into their rooms at the team's hotel, all except for Julius Adams, who calmly stood in the back of the lobby behind everybody.

"Get my keys for me, C.J.!"

...you know, the perks of seniority...

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

May 27

Tony Collins, 58 (May 27, 1959)
Patriot RB, 1981-1987
Uniform #33

Collins, Eason, Franklin

In '85 we had too many Tonys.

 

[jmt57]

Only two Patriots born on June 3, and both were with the Pats for less than a full season.

Jonathan Casillas, 30 (June 3, 1987)
Patriot LB, 2014
Uniform#52
The Patriots acquired Casillas for next to nothing in late October of 2014. The Pats traded a 5th round pick in exchange for the linebacker plus a sixth round pick prior to the week 9 game versus Denver. He played in all eight remaining regular season games with three starts, totaling 28 tackles (19 solo) and a forced fumble; he also played in all three post-season games. Casillas has two superbowl rings: one with the Saints in SB44 (he recovered the onside kick to start the second half in the victory over the Colts), and a second one in SB49 against the Seahawks. Following that he cashed in on a nice payday, signing a 3-year, $10.5 million contract with the Giants in free agency - where he was able to at least see the playbook.

Bill Danenhauer, 83 (June 3, 1934)
Patriot DE, 1960
Uniform #77
Drafted late by the Colts in 1956, Danenhauer played in three games for the Pats in their inaugural season. He also played with his brother Eldon, a two-time all star, in Denver in 1960. As far as I can tell he is not related to the former pro football player turned wrestler from the nineties that shares the same name.


Others with New England area connections:

Roger Caron, 55 (6/3/62); Norwell HS class of '80; Harvard class of '85.
Tackle was a 5th round pick by the Colts; played in 10 games with one start for Indy. He spent 28 years as a college coach, including 20 at Pomona College.

Ted Williams (6/3/16-10/30/93); Gloucester High School, Boston College.
Single wing back was the 18th overall pick in the 1942 draft for the Eagles, and in 1944 was the left halfback for the Boston Yanks.

Bill Joyce (6/3/95-8/29/74); Pittsfield High School and Holy Cross.
Quarterback for the 1920 Detroit Heralds.


Notable pro football players born June 3:

- Brandon Moore, 37 (June 3, 1980); forever famous for being the butt in the buttfumble.

- Frank Nesser (6/3/1899); part of perhaps the largest family of pro football players, Nesser was one of six brothers to play, and also had a brother-in-law and two nephews play in the NFL.

- Sam Mills (6/3/59-4/18/05); 5-time Pro Bowl LB played in 181 games.

- Emmitt Thomas, 74 (6/3/43); Hall of Fame CB for the Chiefs had 58 interceptions, went to five Pro Bowls and won a ring for Super Bowl IV.

- Lee Roy Caffey (6/3/41-1/18/94); Packers linebacker was part of three NFL championship teams.