Jack Tatum

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New Jersey raised Jack Tatum, one of the hardest hitters ever to play football, has died.

It can truly be said that he was a revolutionary player in that his paralyzing hit on the Patriots' Darryl Stingley in 1978 led to the NFL changing its rules concerning helmet-to-helmet tackles.

While I certainly felt the Stingley episode was a tragic one, I couldn't help but be a fan of Tatum. At the very least, he was a very entertaining collegian at Ohio State.

He had rough times toward the end of his life—"He suffered from diabetes and, several years ago, had a leg amputated."—but that certainly seems to be inevitable for football players.

Requiescat in pace.