Jack Tatum

Did You Know?

• Tatum did not begin playing football until his sophomore year at Passaic High School, where he played running back, fullback, and defensive back and was selected first-team All-State.
• After retiring, he became a land developer, moved into real estate, and was part owner of a restaurant in Pittsburg, California.
• He wrote three best-selling books: They Call Me Assassin (1980), They Still Call Me Assassin (1989), and Final Confessions of NFL Assassin Jack Tatum (1996).

College career

Tatum visited several universities before beginning his college career at Ohio State University. Head coach Woody Hayes recruited him as a running back, but assistant coach Lou Holtz convinced Hayes to move Tatum to defensive back during his freshman season. He was used to cover the opponent's best wide receiver and occasionally played linebacker because of his hard hits and ability to bring down larger players. Tatum first gained notice as a sophomore when he helped limit All-American Leroy Keyes during a 13–0 upset of Purdue in early 1968.

He was first-team All-Big Ten in 1968, 1969, and 1970, and a unanimous All-American in his final two seasons. In 1970 he was named National Defensive Player of the Year and received significant Heisman Trophy votes. Tatum helped the Buckeyes to a 27–2 record as a starter, with two national championship appearances, two Big Ten titles, and a national championship in 1968. In the Ohio State–Michigan rivalry, the Buckeyes won in 1968 (50–14), lost in 1969 (24–12), and won in 1970 (20–9).

He was inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 1981 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2001, head coach Jim Tressel created the "Jack Tatum Hit of the Week Award" for the most impressive defensive hit in a game.

Professional career

The Oakland Raiders made Jack Tatum the 19th overall pick in the 1971 draft, bringing him in to take over for the retired Dave Grayson and shore up their defense. He inked a three-year deal worth six figures, with a $50,000 signing bonus. Tatum liked being called "the Assassin," though his coach John Madden said nobody used that name during his actual playing days. In his debut against the Baltimore Colts, he laid out tight ends John Mackey and Tom Mitchell, knocking both out of the game.

That performance drew comparisons to Bears linebacker Dick Butkus, and Tatum earned the starting free safety spot as a rookie. Over his first six seasons, he picked off 19 passes. He never backed down from his aggressive approach, saying it was unrealistic to expect otherwise—if you play football, you'll get hurt. Tatum was central to one of the NFL's most famous plays, the Immaculate Reception, in a 1972 playoff game against the Steelers.

With 22 seconds left, Terry Bradshaw threw to John Fuqua; Tatum crashed into him, sending the ball flying. It landed with Franco Harris, who ran 42 yards for the winning touchdown. Officials ruled Tatum had touched the ball, so the score stood. In Super Bowl XI, he knocked the helmet off Vikings receiver Sammy White, a hit still remembered as one of the biggest in Super Bowl history.

Health issues and death

Jack Tatum dealt with serious health issues later in life. Diabetes led to a staph infection that forced the amputation of all five toes on his left foot in 2003, followed by the loss of that leg below the knee. An arterial blockage later cost him his right leg, and he relied on a prosthetic. He worked to raise awareness about diabetes and started the Jack Tatum Fund for Youthful Diabetes in Ohio to support research.

His kidneys began failing in his final years, and he was waiting for a transplant when he died. Tatum passed away from a heart attack in Oakland on July 27, 2010. The Raiders called him the standard bearer and an inspiration for safeties in college and the pros. Ronnie Lott described him as one of his football heroes.

Sportswriter John Clayton noted that Tatum hit harder than any other safety, while Peter Richmond highlighted Tatum’s quiet personality off the field. Steve Grogan, a teammate of Darryl Stingley, said he struggled to find anything nice to say about Tatum’s death.

Legacy

Tatum's leadership contributed to the Oakland Raiders' resilience in the 1970s. Along with Willie Brown, George Atkinson, and Skip Thomas, he was part of the "Soul Patrol" secondary. NFL Films ranked him the sixth hardest hitter in NFL history, and he was elected to three Pro Bowls. He holds the record for the longest fumble return in NFL history: 104 yards for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers on September 24, 1972, a record tied 28 years later by Aeneas Williams. Passaic High School honored him during their 2008 season, declaring the final game "Jack Tatum Day" and retiring his number 32. In 1999, Sports Illustrated included him on its All-Century Team for college football.