“The Assassin” checks out

[Don]

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.

"We have lost one of our greatest Buckeyes," Ohio State head 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."

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. Nor did the officials; no flag was thrown on Tatum.

"I saw replays many, many times, and many times Jack Tatum was criticized," Fairbanks said. "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.

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."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gARi1MIy ... r_embedded

Oakland drafted Tatum 19th overall in 1971 out of Ohio State, where he was a two-time All-American and won a National Championship in 1968. 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."

Tatum was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes and was named to the All-Big Ten team three times. He was named the National Defensive Player of the Year in 1970. Ohio State now gives a "Jack Tatum Hit of the Week Award" to a defense player every week.

He is a member of both the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.

[Michigan Girl]

Oh, geez ...way too young~ RIP, Mr. Tatum!!
Tatum was a dangerous, dangerous man on the field!!

[Don]

Ronnie Lott played the same way as Tatum. The difference of a few inches during a clean hit is the only reason one is vilified and one is glorified.

[Since 78]

Ronnie Lott played the same way as Tatum. The difference of a few inches during a clean hit is the only reason one is vilified and one is glorified.

Good point, doesn't help that Tatum was a Raider though.

[Don]

Ronnie Lott played the same way as Tatum. The difference of a few inches during a clean hit is the only reason one is vilified and one is glorified.

Good point, doesn't help that Tatum was a Raider though.

When I think of the Raiders of old, for some reason the thought of Lester "Stick um'" Hayes comes to mind before anyone else. I never though of the Raiders as vicious, cheap shot artists , more like sneaky cheaters. With Stabler and crew, they just had the look of ex-cons who would pull out all the stops to sneak one by you.

[Since 78]

Ronnie Lott played the same way as Tatum. The difference of a few inches during a clean hit is the only reason one is vilified and one is glorified.

Good point, doesn't help that Tatum was a Raider though.

When I think of the Raiders of old, for some reason the thought of Lester "Stick um'" Hayes comes to mind before anyone else. I never though of the Raiders as vicious, cheap shot artists , more like sneaky cheaters. With Stabler and crew, they just had the look of ex-cons who would pull out all the stops to sneak one by you.

Lester Hayes, yeah, I enjoyed watching those guys. I never thought of them as dirty either. And there have been a lot worse hits than Tatum put on Stingley.

[annie89509]

The whole aura of that team... from Al Davis ...to their Silver&Black uniforms ... eye-patched pirate logo on the helmet ...to the unruly blue-collared city (Oakland) fans... is what built their reputation. But I would say they started to lose that aura when they skipped to LA for awhile there (in the '80s?). Even after coming back to Oakland, they haven't been seen in the same light since....they're just not the same Oakland Raiders as in their heydays--respected and feared at the same time.

[Maui Tom]

The whole aura of that team... from Al Davis ...to their Silver&Black uniforms ... eye-patched pirate logo on the helmet ...to the unruly blue-collared city (Oakland) fans... is what built their reputation. But I would say they started to lose that aura when they skipped to LA for awhile there (in the '80s?). Even after coming back to Oakland, they haven't been seen in the same light since....they're just not the same Oakland Raiders as in their heydays--respected and feared at the same time.

Plunkett to Vataha...Touchdown...Stanford beats Ohio State in the Rose Bowl...1971....Tatum looking skyward as Vataha catches the game clinching TD..I was there and to this day maybe my greatest sports memory....