John David Tatum was an American football safety.
43 Facts About Jack Tatum
1.
2.
Jack Tatum played 10 seasons, from 1971 through 1980, with the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers in the National Football League.
3.
Jack Tatum was popularly known as "the Assassin" because of his playing style.
4.
Jack Tatum was voted to three consecutive Pro Bowls and was a member of one Super Bowl-winning team in his nine seasons with the Raiders.
5.
Jack Tatum is known for a hit he made against New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley in a 1978 preseason game, that paralyzed Stingley from the chest down.
6.
Jack Tatum was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 1971 NFL Draft, and with them earned a reputation as a fierce competitor and one of the hardest hitters ever to play the game.
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Jack Tatum was noted for his involvement in the Immaculate Reception play during a 1972 playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
8.
Jack Tatum's hitting style was well recognized in the 1970s, and his New York Times obituary stated Jack Tatum was a "symbol of a violent game".
9.
Jack Tatum was born in Cherryville, North Carolina, and grew up in Passaic, New Jersey, where he had little interest in playing sports in his early years.
10.
Jack Tatum did not begin playing football until he entered his sophomore year at Passaic High School, where he played as a running back, fullback and defensive back and was selected first-team All-State.
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Jack Tatum was selected a high school All-American as a senior.
12.
Jack Tatum visited a number of universities before starting his collegiate career with The Ohio State University Buckeyes.
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Jack Tatum was used by the Buckeyes to cover the opposing team's best wide receiver, but he was used occasionally as a linebacker due to the nature of his hits and his innate ability to bring down even the biggest fullback or tight end.
14.
Jack Tatum was a first-team All-Big Ten in 1968,1969 and 1970.
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Jack Tatum was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 1981 and into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
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In 2001, Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel instituted the "Jack Tatum Hit of the Week Award", given to the player who had the most impressive defensive hit of the game.
17.
Jack Tatum was drafted by the Oakland Raiders as the 19th pick in the first round of the 1971 NFL Draft to replace former Oakland safety Dave Grayson, who retired after the 1970 season, and for "defensive stability".
18.
Jack Tatum was nicknamed "The Assassin," a name he embraced and relished.
19.
However, according to his former head coach John Madden, Jack Tatum was never called by that nickname during his playing career.
20.
Jack Tatum played his first professional game against the Baltimore Colts, in which he tackled and knocked out Colts tight ends John Mackey and Tom Mitchell.
21.
In Super Bowl XI, on January 9,1977, Jack Tatum knocked the helmet off Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sammy White.
22.
Jack Tatum was involved in one of the more significant plays in National Football League history, the Immaculate Reception, during the AFC divisional playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 23,1972.
23.
Jack Tatum collided with Fuqua, knocking the ball into the air.
24.
The referees ruled that Jack Tatum had touched the ball and therefore Harris's touchdown was permitted, allowing the Steelers to win the game.
25.
Jack Tatum had said he attempted to visit Stingley in the hospital, but was rebuffed by Stingley's family.
26.
Jack Tatum was traded to the Houston Oilers for running back Kenny King and seventh round draft choices in the 1980 and 1981 NFL drafts.
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Jack Tatum finished his pro career with them, playing all 16 games that year, and recorded a career-high seven interceptions in the season.
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Jack Tatum finished his career with total of 37 interceptions with 736 return yards.
29.
Jack Tatum recovered 10 fumbles in his career, returning them for 164 yards.
30.
Jack Tatum first worked for the Raiders organization, and soon became a land developer and moved into the real-estate business.
31.
Jack Tatum became part owner of a restaurant in Pittsburg, California.
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Jack Tatum married and had three children, and wrote three best-selling books: They Call Me Assassin ; They Still Call Me Assassin ; and Final Confessions of NFL Assassin Jack Tatum.
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Jack Tatum eventually faced his own disability challenges, as all five toes on his left foot were amputated in 2003 due to a staph infection caused by diabetes.
34.
Jack Tatum soon lost the entire leg below the knee because of the illness.
35.
Jack Tatum suffered from an arterial blockage that cost him his right leg; he used a prosthetic limb thereafter.
36.
Jack Tatum's kidneys started to fail in his final years, and he was awaiting a kidney transplant at the time of his death.
37.
Jack Tatum died in Oakland on July 27,2010, after a heart attack.
38.
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," while Ronnie Lott stated that Tatum was one of his "football heroes".
39.
Clayton wrote that Jack 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 Jack Tatum hit like "no other safety in football".
40.
The Oakland Raiders were one of the more resilient teams of the 1970s, and Jack Tatum's leadership was a major contributor.
41.
Jack Tatum was ranked as the sixth hardest hitter in NFL history by NFL Films and was elected to three Pro Bowls.
42.
Jack Tatum holds the record for the longest fumble return in NFL history.
43.
Jack Tatum was honored by Passaic High School during their 2008 season.