Nick Buoniconti
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| College: | Notre Dame | ||||
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| AFL draft: | 1962 / Round: 13 / Pick: 102 | ||||
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Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti (December 15, 1940 – July 30, 2019) was an American professional
Early life and family
Nicholas Buoniconti was born to Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti Sr. and Pasqualina "Patsy" Mercolino in
Nicholas Buoniconti 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
Nick was married twice, and had three children by his first marriage.
College career
In 1960, as a junior, was second on the Fighting Irish in tackles (behind senior captain Myron Pottios) with 71. As a senior in 1961, Nick led the team with 74 tackles as the Irish co-captain and was rewarded with 2nd-team All-America selections from
Professional career
As a tackle, Nicholas Buoniconti was the captain of the 1961 Notre Dame football team, but NFL scouts considered him too small to play pro football. Drafted in the 13th round by the Boston Patriots in the
Nick was traded to the AFL's
His leadership made him a cornerstone of the Dolphins' defense. During his years there, the team advanced to three consecutive Super Bowl appearances under Don Shula, the second of which was the team's 1972 undefeated season. In 1973, Nick recorded a then-team record 162 tackles (91 unassisted). Nick was named to the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl in 1972 and 1973.
Buoniconti ended his career with an unofficial 24 sacks, 18 with the Patriots and six while with the Dolphins. His 32 career interceptions rank him third all-time among NFL linebackers.His interception of Billy Kilmer late in the second quarter of Super Bowl VII set up Miami's second touchdown, which proved to be the clincher in the Dolphins' 14-7 victory over the Washington Redskins to complete the 17-0 season.
He was named the Dolphins' Most Valuable Player three times (1969, 1970, 1973). In 1990, Nick was voted as a linebacker on the Dolphins' Silver Anniversary All-Time team. On November 18, 1991, Nick was enshrined on the
Post-playing career
Buoniconti earned a J.D. degree from
In a televised interview on the
Buoniconti also appeared in one of the Miller Lite "Do you know me?" TV ads, in which he talked about the No-Name Defense. The punch line was a variation on an old joke, with Buoniconti remarking that everyone knows him now. A passerby remarks, "Hey, I know you... you're... uh... uh..." trying to recall Buoniconti's name. Upon being told that it's Nick Buoniconti, the passerby says, "No, that's not it."
Buoniconti was a co-host of the HBO series Inside the NFL from 1978 until 2001. In 2001, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he joined his Inside the NFL co-host, Len Dawson, who was inducted in 1987.
Buoniconti is a member of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
Buoniconti openly shared that he struggled with
Death
Buoniconti died of pneumonia on July 30, 2019, in Bridgehampton, New York, at the age of 78.[8] He was one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with CTE, which is caused by repeated hits to the head.[9][10]
See also
- List of American Football League players
- List of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
- List of AFL/NFL players with chronic traumatic encephalopathy
References
- ^ a b c d 'I Feel Lost. I Feel Like a Child.': The Complicated Decline of Nick Buoniconti, Sports Illustrated, S.L. Price, May 9, 2017.
- ^ "New England Roots: Nick Buoniconti". ESPN. September 14, 2010.
- ^ "Nick Buoniconti's return to Cathedral High School leaves a lasting impression". The Republican. May 1, 2012.
- ^ "Marc Buoniconti paralyzed on the field, but not in life". USA Today. September 24, 2010.
- ^ Night After Night with Allan Havey, 1989–93, Comedy Channel/Comedy Central, HBO Downtown Productions
- ^ Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti to donate brain for CTE research ESPN.com, November 3, 2017
- ^ Former NFLers call for end to tackle football for kids, CNN, Nadia Kounang, March 1, 2018.
- ^ "Former Boston Patriots linebacker Nick Buoniconti dies". July 31, 2019.
- ^ "The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)". Concussion Legacy Foundation. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
- ^ Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller (June 20, 2023). "Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease". The New York Times. Retrieved July 2, 2023.