On This Date in Sports August 12, 1978: Jack Tatum Cripples Stingley

Frank The Tank 8/12/2023 12:00 AM

During a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum, Darryl Stingley of the New England Patriots is seriously injured by a vicious hit by Jack Tatum. Stingley, a rising star receiver, was coming off his finest season and close to signing a big contract extension. However, while trying to catch a pass from Steve Grogan, he was hit hard by Tatum and suffered permanent paralysis.

Darryl Stingley was born and raised in Chicago on September 18, 1951. After playing college football at Purdue, Stingley was one of three successful first-round draft picks by the Patriots in the 1973 NFL Draft. Chosen #19 overall, while John Hannah was chosen fourth, and Sam Cunningham was chosen 11th overall.

Jack Tatum was born on November 18, 1948, in Cherryville, North Carolina, and grew up in Passaic, New Jersey. After playing at Ohio State, Tatum was chosen by the Oakland Raiders as the 19th overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft. Nicknamed “The Assassin”, Tatum was one of the most feared Defensive Backs in the league, as he was known to go out of his way to lay the hardest hit possible on prone wide receivers attempting to make a catch. One prime example came during Super Bowl XI, as Jack Tatum hit Minnesota Vikings receiver Sammy White so hard the helmet flew off his head as Oakland beat Minnesota 32-14.

The situation did not matter to Jack Tatum, who was always looking to carry out his reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the NFL. Even a preseason game would bring the same style of hitting from the Raiders' defensive back. As the Patriots marched the ball down the field, Quarterback Sam Grogan looked to complete a slot pass to Darryl Stingley at the Raiders' ten-yard line. While reaching for the ball, Stingley was struck in the head by Jack Tatum at full speed. As he lay on the ground without moving, it was clear that Darryl Stingley was seriously hurt. Upon examining their star receiver, trainers for New England discovered he had no feeling in his legs. The injury severely damaged Darryl Stingley’s spinal cord, leaving him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life as was paralyzed from the chest down, only having only some limited moment in his arms.

The Patriots would win the exhibition game 21-7, with players on both sides being shaken up by the play, with the exception of Jack Tatum, who refused to apologize. As Darryl Stingley recovered in a hospital in northern California, he struck up a friendship with several Raiders who visited him regularly in the hospital, including Coach John Madden and Gene Upshaw. Upshaw, who later became head of the NFL Players’ Association, fought for greater benefits for disabled players on Stingley’s behalf. The contract extension that Darryl Stingley was set to sign never was completed, though the Patriots would give him a job in the organization to make sure his medical bills and needs were taken care of.

Darryl Stingley and Jack Tatum never had a public meeting to talk about the hit, as the Patriots receiver refused to make any public appearance unless Tatum apologized first. On April 5, 2007, Darryl Stingley died due to heart disease and pneumonia that resulted from complications to his injury. Jack Tatum died three years later due to complications from diabetes, which cost him a leg. Stingley's son Derek played in the Arena Football League for a decade, and his grandson Dereke Stingley Jr. is in his second season with the Houston Texans after being drafted third overall in 2022.