Jack Tatum
Tatum (right) with Jimmy Gunn in 1969 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Safety | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | November 18, 1948 Cherryville, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Died: | July 27, 2010 (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: 1st round, 19th pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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John David Tatum (November 18, 1948 – July 27, 2010) was an American professional football safety who played 10 seasons from 1971 through 1980 with the Oakland Raiders and the Houston Oilers in the National Football League (NFL). He was popularly nicknamed as "the Assassin" because of his playing style. Tatum was voted to three consecutive Pro Bowls (1973–1975) and played on one Super Bowl-winning team in nine seasons with the Raiders. He is also known for a hit he made against New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley in a 1978 preseason game that paralyzed Stingley from the neck down. He won a national championship at Ohio State.
A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Tatum played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was a twice an All-American, in 1969 and 1970. He was selected by the Raiders in the first round of the 1971 NFL draft, with whom he 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 the Immaculate Reception play during a 1972 playoff game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tatum's hitting style was well recognized in the 1970s, and his New York Times obituary stated Tatum was a "symbol of a violent game".