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N0KFQ > TODAY 12.08.16 15:38l 70 Lines 3342 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 4257_N0KFQ
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Subj: Today in History - Aug 12
Path: IZ3LSV<F1OYP<ON0AR<VK6HGR<ZL2BAU<ZS0MEE<N9PMO<NS2B<N0KFQ
Sent: 160812/1433Z 4257@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ6.0.12
1978
Rising NFL star paralyzed by hit
Oakland Raiders free safety Jack Tatum levels New England
Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley with a helmet-to-helmet
hit in a preseason game, leaving Stingley paralyzed for life.
Despite the sport's hard hits and reputation for roughness, this
was the first and only time a player was permanently paralyzed as
a result of an injury sustained in a National Football League
game.
Stingley, a wide receiver out of Purdue, was chosen by the
Patriots in the first round of the 1973 draft. He showed rapid
improvement in his first few NFL seasons and was thought to be
one of the league's rising stars. In 1977, he had enjoyed the
best year of his career, racking up 39 catches for 657 yards and
five touchdowns. Tatum, known as a hard-hitting defensive back,
had starred at Ohio State and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders
in the first round of the 1971 draft. Nicknamed "the assassin" at
Ohio State for his vicious hits, Tatum had knocked Baltimore
Colts star tight end John Mackey unconscious in his NFL debut. In
Super Bowl XI, Tatum hit Minnesota Viking Sammy Knight so hard
that Knight's helmet flew off_the move is often referred to as
one of the hardest hits in Super bowl history.
The hit that Tatum would be best remembered for in his 10-year,
three-time Pro Bowl career, though, came on August 12, 1978,
during a pre-season game at the Oakland Coliseum. Stingley ran a
shallow post pattern down the right hash mark toward the middle
of the field to collect a pass from Patriot quarterback Steve
Grogan. Tatum met him at full speed, hitting Stingley with his
helmet and forearm and sending him to the ground with alarming
force. The hit did not violate any NFL rules and no flag was
thrown on the play, but Stingley's neck was broken between the
fourth and fifth vertebrae, rendering the 26-year-old a
quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down. The tragic injury
sent a shockwave through the NFL and its massive audience of
fans.
Raiders head coach John Madden visited Stingley in the hospital
every day after the injury, made him an honorary member of his
team and instructed the Raiders to treat him as such. When Tatum
went to see Stingley in the hospital, however, Stingley's family
would not allow him into the room. They weren't alone in being
angry with Tatum for what seemed like a lack of remorse about the
hit. Tatum explained his position this way: "_you can't get
emotional about it. You don't like to see any player get hurt,
but football is a contact sport and that's a real dangerous
pattern. We don't even run it in practice. But I had to do what I
had to do. It was my job, and he was doing his job."
In the aftermath of Stingley's injury, the NFL was criticized for
its violent nature. Partially in response to this event, the NFL
worked to revise its rules to protect receivers on the field with
tighter refereeing and stricter play calling. In addition,
helmet-to-helmet hits were eventually ruled illegal anywhere on
the field. Friends of Stingley also worked to secure better
benefits for disabled NFL players.
Darryl Stingley died on April 5, 2007, as a result of
complications from his injury. Stingley and Tatum never
reconciled.
73 - K.O., n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
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