Jack Tatum, Hard-Hitting Former Raider, Dies

(CBS/ AP)  Jack Tatum, the Pro Bowl safety for the Oakland Raiders best known for his crushing hit that paralyzed Darryl Stingley in an NFL preseason game in 1978, has died. He was 61.

Nicknamed "The Assassin," Tatum died of a heart attack Tuesday in an Oakland hospital, according to friend and former Ohio State teammate John Hicks.

In 2009, NFL.com ranked Tatum as the sixth most feared tackler of all-time.

WBNS: Jack Tatum photo gallery

On Aug. 12, 1978, in an exhibition game against the New England Patriots, the hard-hitting Tatum slammed into Stingley with his helmet while the receiver was running a crossing pattern. The blow severed Stingley's fourth and fifth veterbrae and left the receiver paralyzed from the neck down.

The two never met after the hit. Stingley died in 2007.

Despite Tatum's failure to show remorse, 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 played under coach Woody Hayes at Ohio State, where he was recruited as a running back. He later switched to defense, where he played linebacker and defensive back.

"We have lost one of our greatest Buckeyes," said Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel. "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."

After starring at Ohio State, Tatum was drafted in the first round by the Raiders in 1971. 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.

(AP Photo/Fred Jewell)

Tatum was not penalized for his hit on Stingley (pictured at left in a 1979 file photo) and the NFL took no disciplinary action, but it did tighten its rules on violent hits.

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."

Tatum was also a central figure in "The Immaculate Reception" in the Raiders' 1972 playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. With 22 seconds left, Tatum jarred loose a pass to Frenchy Fuqua from Terry Bradshaw, and the ball bounced off Fuqua's foot and ricocheted into the arms of Steelers running back Franco Harris. Harris never broke stride and ran 42 yards for the winning touchdown.

[dyulyur]

It?s a terrible tragedy that Jack Tatum has passed away. You can help remember him by contributing to his memorial website at http://jacktatum.people2remember.com/

[mscottf]

I dance on Jack Tatum's grave, and can only hope that he did in fact suffer. Let's hope that more Raiders follow his lead soon, particularly John Madden, who has gotten a free ride all these years for the despicable group of individuals that he enabled and the coaching that he provided.

[raydernation]

I wish l could reach thru this screen p u n k l think l speak on behalf of Raider Nation. You know what, i'm not gonna make you a martyr after all. Instead i'm going to get some of my hacker friends to see they can trace your ip address - lousy dog!

[amulette]

Yes,it was very sad as with any player,what happened to D.S.,but thats just football.And to the DUMB-A$$ that wrote this article,I've been watching football for 45+ years and that hit on D.S. WAS NOT WHAT JACK TATUM WAS BEST KNOWN FOR.He,like alot of those old time players with the Raiders and Steelers were just tough players who loved to play football.R.I.P Jack.

[bajajohn1]

He was coached to hit hard, like all football player are coached, and he did.

[tomrobla]

They should do an autopsy to check brain injury. Tatum was an incredible hard hitting football player. His brain would show what happens when you have frequent NFL type head trauma.

[Cattzen]

Don?t hate the player hate the game. Jack Tatum played the game with relentless abandon of his own safety let alone his opponents. Rules, Equipment, and Techniques learned will continue to lesson the effective cause of these sorts of injuries but, the game is about hitting and hit Jack Tatum did.

RIP