John David "Jack" 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 known as "the Assassin" because of his playing style. Tatum was voted to three consecutive Pro Bowls (1973–1975) and was a member of one Super Bowl-winning team in his 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 chest down.
A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Tatum played college football at Ohio State and was a twice All-American in 1969 and 1970. He was drafted by the 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. Tatum was also noted for his involvement in the immaculate reception play during a 1972 playoff game against 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".
Early life
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. 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. He was selected a high school All-American as a senior. In 1999, the Newark Star-Ledger named Tatum as one of New Jersey's top ten defensive players of the century.
College career
Tatum visited a number of universities before starting his collegiate career with The Ohio State University Buckeyes. Head coach Woody Hayes recruited Tatum as a running back. However, assistant coach Lou Holtz convinced Hayes to switch Tatum to defensive back during Tatum's freshman season. Tatum was used by the Buckeyes to cover the opposing team's best wide receiver, but he also 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. He first became known to college football observers as a sophomore when he helped limit All-American Leroy Keyes during a 13–0 upset against the Purdue Boilermakers during the early part of the 1968 season.
Tatum was a first-team All-Big Ten in 1968, 1969 and 1970. In his final two seasons he was a unanimous All-American. In 1970, he was selected as the National Defensive Player of the Year and was among the top vote getters for the Heisman Trophy, which is awarded to the athlete considered to have been the nation's best college football player that year. Tatum helped lead the Buckeyes to a 27–2 record in his three seasons as a starter, with two national championship appearances, two Big Ten titles and two national championships in 1968 and 1970. In the storied rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan, Tatum and his fellow Buckeyes won in 1968 by the score of 50–14, lost in 1969 by 24–12, and won again in 1970 by 20–9.
Tatum was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 1981 and into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. 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. Upon hearing of his death, Tressel said, "We have lost one of our greatest Buckeyes."
NFL career
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". A few weeks later, Tatum signed a three-year, six-figure contract with a $50,000 signing bonus, . Tatum was nicknamed "the Assassin," a name he embraced and relished. However, according to his former head coach John Madden, Tatum was never called by that nickname during his playing career. 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. Soon after the game, sportswriters started to compare him to Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus because of his hard-hitting skills, and he became the starting free safety in his rookie year.
In his first six seasons, Tatum had 19 interceptions.