Nick Buoniconti Legacy

Lore & Background

Buoniconti was born to Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti Sr. and Pasqualina 'Patsy' Mercolino in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was raised Roman Catholic and played football for Cathedral High School. He graduated from Notre Dame and was drafted by the American Football League's Patriots in the 13th round of the 1962 AFL draft. In 1985, his son Marc suffered a spinal cord injury making a tackle for The Citadel, rendering him a quadriplegic. Buoniconti became the public face of the group that founded the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. He was married twice and had three children by his first marriage.

Reader's Guide

Buoniconti's professional career spanned 1962–1976 (with the Patriots 1962–1968 and Dolphins 1969–1974, 1976). He was named the Patriots' rookie of the year in 1962. With Boston, he appeared in five AFL All-Star Games and recorded 24 interceptions. He was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 1969. He made the AFL All-Star team in 1969 and the NFL Pro Bowl in 1972 and 1973. He led the Dolphins to Super Bowl wins and was named All-AFC in 1972. He ended his career with an unofficial 24 sacks and 32 career interceptions. He was named the Dolphins' Most Valuable Player three times (1969, 1970, 1973).

Did You Know?

• Buoniconti earned a J.D. degree from Suffolk University Law School during his years with the Patriots.
• He was president of the United States Tobacco Company during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
• He was a co-host of the HBO series Inside the NFL from 1978 until 2001.
• He announced on November 3, 2017, that he would posthumously donate his brain to aid CTE research.
• He died of pneumonia on July 30, 2019, in Bridgehampton, New York, at the age of 78.