Jack Tatum

Not to be confused withJim Tatum.

Jack Tatum

Tatum (right) withJimmy Gunnin 1969
No. 31, 32, 28
Position:	Safety
Personal information
Born:	(1948-11-18)November 18, 1948 Cherryville, North Carolina,U.S.
Died:	July 27, 2010(2010-07-27)(aged 61) Oakland, California,U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:	Passaic(Passaic, New Jersey)
College:	Ohio State(1968–1970)
NFL draft:	1971/ Round: 1 / Pick: 19
Career history
Oakland Raiders(1971–1979) Houston Oilers(1980)
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion(XI) Second-teamAll-Pro(1974) 3×Pro Bowl(1973–1975) 2×National champion(1968,1970) 2×Unanimous All-American(1969,1970) 3× First-teamAll-Big Ten(1968–1970)
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions: 37 Interception yards: 736 Fumblerecoveries: 10 Defensivetouchdowns: 1
Player stats atPFR
College Football Hall of Fame

John David Tatum(November 18, 1948 – July 27, 2010) was an American professionalfootballsafetywho played 10 seasons, from 1971 through 1980 with theOakland Raidersand theHouston Oilersin theNational Football League(NFL). He was popularly known as "the Assassin"because of his playing style.Tatum was voted to three consecutivePro Bowls(1973–1975) and played on oneSuper Bowl-winning team in nine seasons with the Raiders. He’s also known for a hit he made againstNew England Patriotswide receiverDarryl Stingleyin a 1978 preseason game that paralyzed Stingley from the neck down. He won a national championship atOhio State.

A member of theCollege Football Hall of Fame,Tatum playedcollege footballfor theOhio State Buckeyesand was a twiceAll-Americanin 1969 and 1970. He was selected by the Raiders in the first round of the1971 NFL draftand with them earned a reputation as a fierce competitor and one of the hardest hitters ever to play the game. Tatum was also noted for his involvement in theimmaculate receptionplay during a1972 playoff gameversus thePittsburgh Steelers.

Tatum's hitting style was well recognized in the 1970s, and hisNew York Timesobituary stated Tatum was a "symbol of a violent game".

Early life

Tatum was born inCherryville, North Carolina,and grew up inPassaic, New Jersey,where he had little interest in playing sports in his early years. Tatum did not begin playing football until he entered his sophomore year atPassaic High School,where he played as a running back, fullback and defensive back and was selected first-team All-State. He was selected a high schoolAll-Americanas a senior. In 1999, the NewarkStar-Ledgernamed Tatum as one of New Jersey's top ten defensive players of the century.

College career

Tatum visited a number of universities before starting his collegiate career withThe Ohio State University Buckeyes.Head coachWoody Hayesrecruited Tatum as arunning back.However, assistant coachLou Holtzconvinced Hayes to switch Tatum to defensive back during Tatum's freshman season.Tatum was used by the Buckeyes to cover the opposing team's bestwide receiver,but he also was used occasionally as alinebackerdue to the nature of his hits and his innate ability to bring down even the biggestfullbackortight end.He first became known to college football observers as a sophomore when he helped limit All-AmericanLeroy Keyesduring a 13–0 upset against thePurdue Boilermakersduring the early part of the 1968 season.

Tatum was a first-teamAll-Big Tenin 1968, 1969, and 1970. In his final two seasons he was a unanimous All-American. In 1970, he was selected as the National Defensive Player of the Year and was among the top vote getters for theHeisman Trophy,which is awarded to the athlete considered to have been the nation's best college football player that year.Tatum helped lead the Buckeyes to a 27–2 record in his three seasons as a starter, with two national championship appearances, two Big Ten titles and two national championships in 1968 and 1970.In the storied rivalry between Ohio State andMichigan,Tatum and his fellow Buckeyes won in 1968 (50–14), lost in 1969 (24–12), and won again in 1970 (20–9).

Tatum was inducted into theOhio State Varsity O Hall of Famein 1981 and into theCollege Football Hall of Famein 2004.In 2001, Ohio State head coachJim Tresselinstituted the "Jack Tatum Hit of the Week Award", given to the player who had the most impressive defensive hit of the game.Upon hearing of his death, Tressel said, "We have lost one of our greatest Buckeyes."

NFL career

Tatum was drafted by theOakland Raidersas the 19th pick in the first round of the1971 NFL draftto replace former Oakland safetyDave Grayson,who retired after the 1970 season, and for "defensive stability".A few weeks later, Tatum signed a three-year, six-figure contract with a $50,000 signing bonus, equivalent to $376,171 in 2023. Tatum was nicknamed "the Assassin," a name he embraced and relished.However, according to his former head coachJohn Madden,Tatum was never called by that nickname during his playing career.Tatum played his first professional game against theBaltimore Colts,in which he tackled and knocked out Coltstight endsJohn MackeyandTom Mitchell.Soon after the game, sportswriters started to compare him toChicago BearslinebackerDick Butkusbecause of his hard-hitting skills, and he became the starting free safety in his rookie year.

In his first six seasons, Tatum had 19 interceptions.

InSuper Bowl XI,onJanuary 9, 1977,Tatum knocked the helmet offMinnesota Vikingswide receiverSammy White.This is often regarded as one of the biggest hits in Super Bowl history.The Raiders defeated the Vikings, 32–14.

Tatum never apologized for the style he played, stating that, "It's unrealistic. If you want to play football for a living, you're going to get injured."

Immaculate Reception

Tatum was involved in one of the more significant plays in National Football League history, theImmaculate Reception,during theAFCdivisional playoff gameagainst thePittsburgh Steelerson December 23, 1972. With 22 seconds left in the game, SteelersquarterbackTerry Bradshawthrew a pass to running backJohn "Frenchy" Fuqua.Tatum collided with Fuqua, knocking the ball into the air.The ball fell into the hands of Steelers running backFranco Harris,who ran it 42 yards for the game-winning touchdown.The play is famous because NFL rules at the time prohibited a receiver from batting the ball to another player of the same team. The referees ruled that Tatum had touched the ball and therefore Harris's touchdown was permitted, allowing the Steelers to win the game.

Darryl Stingley incident

Tatum's most infamous hit came in an exhibition game against theNew England Patriotson August 12,1978,a play that Tatum later stated he did "thousands of times" in practice and in regular game coverage.Tatum and Patriots wide receiverDarryl Stingleycollided as Stingley was leaping for a pass on an inside slant route, a play the Patriots had run earlier in the game that put him in the path of Tatum. There was an awkward collision as Stingley lowered his helmet to protect himself and hit Tatum's shoulder pad.The impact severely damaged Stingley's spinal cord and left him with incompletequadriplegiafor the rest of his life.The NFL took no disciplinary action for the tackle, but they did tighten the rules on violent hits.

The incident affected Tatum personally, and for several years, according to close friendJohn Hicks,made him "somewhat of a recluse".According to Madden, "It was something that ate on him for his whole life."According to Stingley in his 1983 autobiography,Happy To Be Alive,Tatum never made any effort to apologize or to see him after the incident.Gene Upshaw,a teammate and future executive, described the hit as "one of those things that happens that everyone regrets".Tatum had said he attempted to visit Stingley in the hospital, but was rebuffed by Stingley's family.They were supposed to meet once in a television interview, but Stingley backed out when he found out Tatum would be promoting his new autobiography during the interview.The two never spoke with one another after that day,although Stingley related in a 2003Boston Globeinterview that he had forgiven Tatum. "It's hard to articulate," he said. "It was a test of my faith, the entire story. In who, and how much, do you believe, Darryl? In my heart and mind, I forgave Jack Tatum a long time ago."

1980 Season with Houston Oilers

Tatum was traded to theHouston Oilersfor running backKenny Kingand seventh round draft choices in the1980and1981 NFL drafts.He finished his pro career with them, playing all 16 games that year, and recorded a career-high seven interceptions in the season.

Career NFL statistics

Tatum finished his career with total of 37 interceptions with 736 return yards. He also recovered 10 fumbles in his career, returning them for 164 yards.

Retirement

Tatum retired after being released by the Oilers following the 1980 season.He first worked for the Raiders organization, and soon became a land developer and moved into the real-estate business.Tatum became part owner of a restaurant inPittsburg, California.He married and had three children, and wrote three best-selling books:They Call Me Assassin(1980);They Still Call Me Assassin(1989); andFinal Confessions of NFL Assassin Jack Tatum(1996).

Health issues and death

Tatum eventually faced his own disability challenges, as all five toes on his left foot were amputated in 2003 due to astaph infectioncaused bydiabetes.He soon lost the entire leg below the knee because of the illness.He also suffered from an arterial blockage that cost him his right leg; he used a prosthetic limb thereafter. Tatum worked on increasing awareness of diabetes. To facilitate this goal, he created the Ohio-based Jack Tatum Fund for Youthful Diabetes, which finances diabetes research.His kidneys started to fail in his final years, and he was awaiting akidney transplantat the time of his death.

Tatum died in Oakland on July 27, 2010, after aheart attack.The Oakland Raiders released a statement that: "Jack was the standard bearer and an inspiration for the position of safety throughout college and professional football," whileRonnie Lottstated that Tatum was one of his "football heroes".SportswritersJohn Claytonand Peter Richmond both wrote on Tatum's NFL legacy.Clayton wrote that Tatum was part of the reason why the Steelers-Raiders matchup was his most anticipated game of the season while starting his sports-writing career in Pittsburgh, and that Tatum hit like "no other safety in football".Richmond, an Oakland journalist and insider, wrote about Tatum's quiet demeanor off the field, which was contrary to most journalistic reports about Tatum.Steve Grogan,Stingley's teammate when asked to make a comment about Tatum's death, stated: "I have a hard time trying to find something nice to say.... I just can't do it."

Legacy

The Oakland Raiders were one of the more resilient teams of the 1970s, and Tatum's leadership was a major contributor.Along with futurePro Football Hall of FamerWillie Brown,safetyGeorge Atkinsonand cornerbackSkip Thomas,Tatum was part of the "Soul Patrol" secondary.He was ranked as the sixth hardest hitter in NFL history byNFL Filmsand was elected to threePro Bowls.

He holds the record for the longest fumble return in NFL history. In a game against theGreen Bay PackersonSeptember 24, 1972,he returned a fumble 104 yards for a touchdown.The record was tied 28 years later byAeneas Williams.

Tatum was honored by Passaic High School during their 2008 season. The final game of the football season, Passaic's annual Thanksgiving matchup with rival Clifton High School, was regarded as "Jack Tatum Day" and the school honored him with a ceremony at halftime where his number 32 was officially retired.

External links

• Jack Tatumat theCollege Football Hall of Fame
• Career statistics and player information fromPro Football Reference