Hard hitting, neck snapping safety dies at 61.
Yes he hit a man so hard that he broke his neck, but he was one hell of a baller.
Former Raiders’ ‘Assassin’ Jack Tatum Dies at 61
COLUMBUS, Ohio — He was called the “Assassin.”
Jack Tatum was one of the hardest hitters in the NFL, a Pro Bowl safety who intimidated opposing players with bone-jarring tackles that helped make his Oakland Raiders one of toughest teams of its era.
He’s also a player who will always be tied to one of the game’s most tragic moments — a hit in a preseason game that left New England Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley paralyzed from the neck down.
Tatum died Tuesday at age 61 in an Oakland hospital. The cause was a massive heart attack, according to friend and former Ohio State teammate John Hicks. Tatum had battled diabetes and other health problems for years, Hicks said.
The collision with Stingley happened Aug. 12, 1978, at Oakland Coliseum.
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