Nick Buoniconti
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Nick Buoniconti | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | December 15, 1940 (age 66) |
| Place of birth |  Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Position(s) | Middle linebacker |
| College | Notre Dame |
| AFL Draft | 1962 / Round 13/ Pick 102 |
| Career Highlights | |
| Pro Bowls | AFL All-Star 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970 NFL Pro Bowl 1973, 1974 |
| Stats | |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1962-1968 1969 1970-1976 |
AFL Boston Patriots AFL Miami Dolphins NFL Miami Dolphins |
| Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2001 | |
Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti (born December 15, 1940) is a former AFL and NFL Hall of Fame middle linebacker, who played for the Boston Patriots and Miami Dolphins.
Born on December 15, 1940 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Buoniconti graduated from Notre Dame, and was drafted by the Patriots in the thirteenth round of the 1962 AFL draft. He made an immediate impact with the Patriots helping the team capture the 1963 AFL Eastern Division title. With Boston, he appeared in five AFL All-Star Games, and recorded 24 interceptions, which is still the seventh-most in team history. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 1969.
He continued to play well with the Dolphins, in 1969-1974 and 1976, and made the AFL All-Star team in 1969 and the NFL Pro Bowl in 1972 and 1973. His leadership made him a cornerstone of the team's defense. During his years there, the team advanced to three consecutive Super Bowl appearances, one of which was the team's 1972 undefeated season. In 1973, he recorded a then-team record 162 tackles (91 unassisted). He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1972 and 1973.
Buoniconti got his law degree during his years with the Patriots, and although he was never a practicing attorney, he was briefly President of the US Tobacco Company during the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was a leading critic of studies which showed that smokeless tobacco caused cancer of the mouth as well as other types of cancer.
In recent years, he has become the most outspoken member of the 1972 Undefeated Season team. It is rumored that he leads a champagne toast every year after the last remaining undefeated team loses for the first time.
Nick put his verbal talent to use as a co-host of the HBO series Inside the NFL until 2001. That same year, Nick was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In 1985, after his son Marc suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury making a tackle for The Citadel, Nick became the public face of the group that founded the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, now one of the world's leading neurological research centers.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Pro Football Hall of Fame Bio Page: Member profile
| American Football League | All-Time Team |
|---|
|
Joe Namath | Clem Daniels | Paul Lowe | Lance Alworth | Cookie Gilchrist* | Don Maynard | Fred Arbanas | Jim Otto | Ed Budde | Billy Shaw | Ron Mix | Jim Tyrer | George Blanda | Nick Buoniconti | Bobby Bell | George Webster | Johnny Robinson | George Saimes | Willie Brown | Dave Grayson | Houston Antwine | Tom Sestak | Jerry Mays | Gerry Philbin | Jerrel Wilson | |
Categories: 1940 births | Living people | American football linebackers | American football middle linebackers | American football offensive linemen | American football offensive guards | Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players | Boston Patriots (AFL) players | Miami Dolphins (AFL) players | Miami Dolphins players | Italian-American sportspeople | People from Springfield, Massachusetts | Pro Football Hall of Fame | AFL All-Star players | American Conference Pro Bowl players
