Former Buckeye, Raider Jack Tatum Dies of Heart Attack

Savage hit.

Thanks, man. Always up for Campbell links. Had forgotten about the Tatum hit. Perfect.

Earl was such a bad ass. Every one should be required to watch Earl video.

Thanks for posting the Earl highlights. Tatum was a vicious hitter, but seeing Earl run over everyone in his path is always something special to see. I remember many of those runs, as I had just moved to Houston in time for the “Luv Ya Blue” days, with Pastorini, Earl and Bum. The Oiler/Miami Monday night game was epic. But the run where Earl just lowers his headgear and hits the Ram player drives him back and then runs for another 15 yards is incredible as well (look at the 2:48 mark).

Tatum was a great NFL player, but he was also a sorry POS. Hell of a dirty cheap shot artist, liked the helmet to helmet, eye poke, clothesline, etc.

To be clear, I don’t blame him for Stingley, that was just an unintentional freak incident and the risk of football. But I do blame his attitude afterward. For most players it isn’t that big a deal to play up an ‘Assassin’ personae, but not after you actually paralyze a guy and then use the paralysis to pimp your books. I understand his defending himself from the accusations that it was intentional, but my memory is that mostly he came across as “Remorseful? Hell, this really helps my image!” Would be like if Ray Lewis had right after come out with multiple “I’m the Blademaster!” self-glory books. No wonder the Stingley family wanted nothing to do with Tatum.

Madden on Tatum re: Stingley.

“It ate at him his whole life,” Madden said of Tatum.

At first glance you notice how often Earl ran with the ball in his hand, untucked, and you think, “That’s bad form.”

Then you notice that his hands are so big that his fingers wrap nearly all the way around the damn ball. That is, an NFL football. Holy shit. I’m pretty sure the ball was still secure.

Yep, any ball that has to be taken from Earl Campbell is adequately secure.

Earl will forever be my favorite football player of all time. I was fortunate enough to live across the street from Earl as I was growing up. I can tell you he was one of the nicest guys you could meet. His thighs were probably each the size of my 8 year old body. He was built to be a running back.

Ripley, there’s a TON to be gleaned in the comments section of that article you linked.

Like the fact that Jack Tatum not only never felt a modicum of remorse, not that he should, but that the one time he tried to show up at Stingley’s house to reconcile, he did so with a camera crew in tow to try to pimp his book. The first part doesn’t bother me. That’s how football was played back then. The second part tells me that Tatum is not deserving of sympathy in any shape, form, or manner. It’s possibly that Tatum’s publisher forced him to do it that way, but if it’s a choice between the dignity of a man you crippled and your paycheck, the choice should not require review.

Nice spear attempt by Tatum on Earl. From that position, that was his only chance to prevent him from reaching the end zone. I do believe the NFL has to be more viligant on protecting running backs on the ground. After practically every play, especially in competitive games, defenders bring an extra whack to offensive players on the ground.

That Earl video was fantastic.

Tatum was a dirty POS

“I don’t remember much about the winning tuchdown, but they tell me I flat ran over Dreamer Tatum, cunt on cunt.”

Billy Clyde Puckett in Dan Jenkins’ fabled sports literary classic, Semi-Tough, describing his Super Bowl winning TD against the Dog-Assed Jets.

Uh, that would be “touchdown”.

The thing that always amazes me about seeing footage of earl is his speed! In his first few years, he’s outrunning DBs consistently. The way he moves his hips reminds me of vince a little – ability to change direction is unbelievalble.