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Former Oakland Raiders and Ohio State defensive back Jack Tatum Tatum died of a heart attack Tuesday in an Oakland hospital.
Tatum, a three-time Pro Bowler, was 61.
In a statement, the Raiders said, "Jack was a true Raider champion and a true Raider warrior. ... Jack was the standard bearer and an inspiration for the position of safety throughout college and professional football."
Known as "The Assassin" during his career, Tatum was renowned as one of the most feared hitters in the game. The footage of Tatum knocking the helmet off of Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sammy White in Super Bowl XI is one of the marquee images in the history of the game.
But Tatum's most infamous hit came during a preseason game.
In Oakland on Aug. 12, 1978, New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley ran head-on into Tatum on a crossing pattern. The blow severed Stingley's fourth and fifth vertebrae and left the receiver paralyzed. Eventually, Stingley regained limited movement in his right arm and was able to operate his electric wheelchair on his own, but Stingley died from the after-effects of Tatum's hit on April 26, 2007 at the age of 55.
Chuck Fairbanks, the Patriots' coach at the time of the collision, said he couldn't find anything illegal or dirty about the hit.
"I saw replays many, many times, and many times Jack Tatum was criticized," Fairbanks said at the time of Stingley's death. "But there wasn't anything at the time that was illegal about that play. I do think probably that play was a forerunner for some of the changes in rules that exist today that are more protective of receivers, especially if there is head-to-head-type contact. I think that probably pre-empted some of the things that happened today."
Tatum and Stingley never met after the hit.
Tatum was not penalized on the play and the NFL took no disciplinary action, but it did tighten its rules on violent hits.
Despite Tatum's failure to show remorse, former Ohio State teammate John Hicks said Tatum was haunted by the play.
"It was tough on him, too," Hicks said. "He wasn't the same person after that. For years he was almost a recluse."
Tatum had said he tried to visit Stingley at an Oakland hospital shortly after the collision but was turned away by Stingley's family members.
"It's not so much that Darryl doesn't want to, but it's the people around him," Tatum told the Oakland Tribune in 2004. "So we haven't been able to get through that. Every time we plan something, it gets messed up. Getting to him or him getting back to me, it never happens."
Part of the alienation came after Tatum wrote the 1980 book, "They Call Me Assassin," in which he was unapologetic for his headhunting ways.
Tatum also wrote books titled "They Still Call Me Assassin: Here We Go Again" in 1989 and "Final Confessions of an NFL Assassin" in 1996.
In the latter he wrote, "I was paid to hit, the harder the better. And I hit, and I knocked people down and knocked people out. ... I understand why Darryl is considered the victim. But I'll never understand why some people look at me as the villain."
After starring for Ohio State under coach Woody Hayes, Tatum was drafted in the first round by Oakland in 1971. In nine seasons with the Raiders, Tatum started 106 of 120 games with 30 interceptions and helped Oakland win the 1976 Super Bowl. He played his final season with the Houston Oilers in 1980.
Tatum's reckless style was noticeable from the moment he stepped onto the field for Oakland. In his first NFL game, the 5-foot-10, 200-pound safety knocked out Baltimore Colts tight ends John Mackey and Tom Mitchell. Tatum was also at the center of one of the most memorable plays in NFL playoff history, the Immaculate Reception.
With 22 seconds left in a playoff game in 1972, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a pass to running back John Fuqua, but Tatum crashed into Fuqua as soon as the ball arrived. Fuqua fell to the ground, and the ball was knocked into the air, where Steelers fullback Franco Harris snared it just before it hit the ground. Harris never broke stride and ran 42 yards for the winning touchdown.
Tatum suffered multiple health problems relating to diabetes after his retirement from football in 1980. He had all five of his toes on his left foot amputated in 2003 due to a staph infection and later lost his right leg after an arterial blockage forced another amputation.
"He endured a lot of problems, and it's unfortunate he passed away so young," Hicks told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. "He was a tremendous athlete and a great person."
Despite their lingering resentment, Stingley was gracious in 2003 when he learned of Tatum's health problems.
"You can't, as a human being, feel happy about something like that happening to another human being," Stingley told The Boston Globe.
Tatum began a charitable group to help kids with diabetes and helped raise more than $1.4 million to fight the disease in the Columbus area.
"He was a good athlete and a good person," Hicks said. "He gave a lot back to the community, but he didn't want a lot said about it."
Tatum grew up in New Jersey and had little interest in organized sports until high school. He grew to love football and was offered a scholarship to Ohio State.
Recruited as a running back, Tatum would sneak over to the defensive side to play linebacker. In time, the Ohio State coaches -- particularly secondary coach Lou Holtz -- recognized that Tatum was a natural on defense.
Tatum was a part of the "super sophs" class that led Ohio State to an unbeaten season and the national championship in 1968. He stole the headlines in the Buckeyes' showdown with No. 1 Purdue early in the season, shadowing All-American running back Leroy Keyes in Ohio State's 13-0 upset of the Boilermakers.
In his three years as a starter, Tatum's teams went 27-2 and won two Big Ten titles. He was named to the All-Big Ten team three times and was chosen as the National Defensive Player of the Year in 1970.
Each week after an Ohio State game, the coaching staff awards the "Jack Tatum hit of the week" award for the hardest tackle or block by a Buckeye.
"We have lost one of our greatest Buckeyes," current Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said in a statement. "When you think of Ohio State defense, the first name that comes to mind is Jack Tatum. His loss touches every era of Ohio State players and fans."
Tatum is a member of both the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Raiders safety Michael Huff sent a message on Twitter after learning of Tatum's death: "R.I.P. Jack Tatum the assassin. One of the best safetys to ever play this game, his legacy will live forever."
Source: AP
Tatum, a three-time Pro Bowler, was 61.
In a statement, the Raiders said, "Jack was a true Raider champion and a true Raider warrior. ... Jack was the standard bearer and an inspiration for the position of safety throughout college and professional football."
Known as "The Assassin" during his career, Tatum was renowned as one of the most feared hitters in the game. The footage of Tatum knocking the helmet off of Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sammy White in Super Bowl XI is one of the marquee images in the history of the game.
But Tatum's most infamous hit came during a preseason game.
In Oakland on Aug. 12, 1978, New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley ran head-on into Tatum on a crossing pattern. The blow severed Stingley's fourth and fifth vertebrae and left the receiver paralyzed. Eventually, Stingley regained limited movement in his right arm and was able to operate his electric wheelchair on his own, but Stingley died from the after-effects of Tatum's hit on April 26, 2007 at the age of 55.
Chuck Fairbanks, the Patriots' coach at the time of the collision, said he couldn't find anything illegal or dirty about the hit.
"I saw replays many, many times, and many times Jack Tatum was criticized," Fairbanks said at the time of Stingley's death. "But there wasn't anything at the time that was illegal about that play. I do think probably that play was a forerunner for some of the changes in rules that exist today that are more protective of receivers, especially if there is head-to-head-type contact. I think that probably pre-empted some of the things that happened today."
Tatum and Stingley never met after the hit.
Tatum was not penalized on the play and the NFL took no disciplinary action, but it did tighten its rules on violent hits.
Despite Tatum's failure to show remorse, former Ohio State teammate John Hicks said Tatum was haunted by the play.
"It was tough on him, too," Hicks said. "He wasn't the same person after that. For years he was almost a recluse."
Tatum had said he tried to visit Stingley at an Oakland hospital shortly after the collision but was turned away by Stingley's family members.
"It's not so much that Darryl doesn't want to, but it's the people around him," Tatum told the Oakland Tribune in 2004. "So we haven't been able to get through that. Every time we plan something, it gets messed up. Getting to him or him getting back to me, it never happens."
Part of the alienation came after Tatum wrote the 1980 book, "They Call Me Assassin," in which he was unapologetic for his headhunting ways.
Tatum also wrote books titled "They Still Call Me Assassin: Here We Go Again" in 1989 and "Final Confessions of an NFL Assassin" in 1996.
In the latter he wrote, "I was paid to hit, the harder the better. And I hit, and I knocked people down and knocked people out. ... I understand why Darryl is considered the victim. But I'll never understand why some people look at me as the villain."
After starring for Ohio State under coach Woody Hayes, Tatum was drafted in the first round by Oakland in 1971. In nine seasons with the Raiders, Tatum started 106 of 120 games with 30 interceptions and helped Oakland win the 1976 Super Bowl. He played his final season with the Houston Oilers in 1980.
Tatum's reckless style was noticeable from the moment he stepped onto the field for Oakland. In his first NFL game, the 5-foot-10, 200-pound safety knocked out Baltimore Colts tight ends John Mackey and Tom Mitchell. Tatum was also at the center of one of the most memorable plays in NFL playoff history, the Immaculate Reception.
With 22 seconds left in a playoff game in 1972, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a pass to running back John Fuqua, but Tatum crashed into Fuqua as soon as the ball arrived. Fuqua fell to the ground, and the ball was knocked into the air, where Steelers fullback Franco Harris snared it just before it hit the ground. Harris never broke stride and ran 42 yards for the winning touchdown.
Tatum suffered multiple health problems relating to diabetes after his retirement from football in 1980. He had all five of his toes on his left foot amputated in 2003 due to a staph infection and later lost his right leg after an arterial blockage forced another amputation.
"He endured a lot of problems, and it's unfortunate he passed away so young," Hicks told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. "He was a tremendous athlete and a great person."
Despite their lingering resentment, Stingley was gracious in 2003 when he learned of Tatum's health problems.
"You can't, as a human being, feel happy about something like that happening to another human being," Stingley told The Boston Globe.
Tatum began a charitable group to help kids with diabetes and helped raise more than $1.4 million to fight the disease in the Columbus area.
"He was a good athlete and a good person," Hicks said. "He gave a lot back to the community, but he didn't want a lot said about it."
Tatum grew up in New Jersey and had little interest in organized sports until high school. He grew to love football and was offered a scholarship to Ohio State.
Recruited as a running back, Tatum would sneak over to the defensive side to play linebacker. In time, the Ohio State coaches -- particularly secondary coach Lou Holtz -- recognized that Tatum was a natural on defense.
Tatum was a part of the "super sophs" class that led Ohio State to an unbeaten season and the national championship in 1968. He stole the headlines in the Buckeyes' showdown with No. 1 Purdue early in the season, shadowing All-American running back Leroy Keyes in Ohio State's 13-0 upset of the Boilermakers.
In his three years as a starter, Tatum's teams went 27-2 and won two Big Ten titles. He was named to the All-Big Ten team three times and was chosen as the National Defensive Player of the Year in 1970.
Each week after an Ohio State game, the coaching staff awards the "Jack Tatum hit of the week" award for the hardest tackle or block by a Buckeye.
"We have lost one of our greatest Buckeyes," current Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said in a statement. "When you think of Ohio State defense, the first name that comes to mind is Jack Tatum. His loss touches every era of Ohio State players and fans."
Tatum is a member of both the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Raiders safety Michael Huff sent a message on Twitter after learning of Tatum's death: "R.I.P. Jack Tatum the assassin. One of the best safetys to ever play this game, his legacy will live forever."
Source: AP