Nick Buoniconti
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti (born December 15, 1940) is a former American Football League
and NFL
Hall of Fame
middle linebacker, who played for the Boston Patriots and Miami Dolphins
.
Born on December 15, 1940 in Springfield, Massachusetts
, Buoniconti graduated from Notre Dame
, and was drafted by the American Football League
's Patriots in the thirteenth round of the 1962 AFL draft.
and switched to linebacker, Buoniconti made an immediate impact, as he was named the team's rookie of the year. The following year, he helped Boston capture the 1963 AFL Eastern Division title. With Boston, he appeared in five AFL All-Star Games
, and recorded 24 interceptions, which is still the seventh-most in team history. He was named 2nd team All-AFL in 1963 and the following season began a run of five consensus All-AFL seasons in the following six seasons, missing only 1968 when he was named second-team All-AFL. Buoniconti is a member of the Patriots All-1960s (AFL) Team and the AFL All-Time Team
.
He was traded to the AFL's Miami Dolphins
in 1969. He continued to play well with the Dolphins, in 1969-1974
and 1976
, and made the AFL All-Star
team in 1969 and the NFL Pro Bowl in 1972
and 1973
. Buoniconti was also named All-AFC in 1972
.
His leadership made him a cornerstone of the Dolphins' defense. During his years there, the team advanced to three consecutive Super Bowl
appearances, the second of which was the team's 1972
undefeated season. In 1973
, he recorded a then-team record 162 tackles (91 unassisted). He was named to the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl
in 1972 and 1973.
Buoniconti ended his career with an unofficial 24 sacks, eighteen with the Patriots and six while with the Dolphins.
He was named the Dolphins' Most Valuable Player three times (1969, 1970, 1973). In 1990, he was voted as a linebacker on the Dolphins' Silver Anniversary All-Time team. On November 18, 1991, he was enshrined on the Miami Dolphin's Honor Roll
at Joe Robbie Stadium.
Buoniconti got his law degree
during his years with the Patriots. He was a practicing attorney for a short time. He was also president of the US Tobacco Company during the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was a leading critic of studies which showed that smokeless tobacco
caused cancer
of the mouth as well as other types of cancer.
In recent years, he has become the most outspoken member of the 1972 team; it is rumored that he leads a champagne toast every year after the last remaining undefeated team loses for the first time. Also, it is reported that Buoniconti sends a Christmas card every year to former Minnesota Vikings
defensive end Bob Lurtsema
, whose roughing-the-passer violation in an early 1972 game aided the Dolphins' undefeated season.
Buoniconti also appeared in one of the American Express
"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 put his verbal talent to use as a co-host of the HBO series Inside the NFL
until 2001. That same year, Buoniconti was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In 1985, after his son Marc suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury making a tackle for The Citadel
, Nick became the public face of the group that founded the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
, now one of the world's leading neurological research centers.
Buoniconti is a member of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
, and the Football Coaches' Association.
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
and NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
middle linebacker, who played for the Boston Patriots and Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Born on December 15, 1940 in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, Buoniconti graduated from Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, and was drafted by the American Football League
American Football League
The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...
's Patriots in the thirteenth round of the 1962 AFL draft.
Pro career
As a tackle, Buoniconti was the captain of the 1961 Notre Dame football team, but was considered by NFL scouts as "too small" to play pro football. Drafted by the Boston Patriots in the 1962 American Football League college draft1962 American Football League Draft
-Boston Patriots draft picks :-Buffalo Bills draft picks :-Dallas Texans draft picks :-Denver Broncos draft picks :-Houston Oilers draft picks :...
and switched to linebacker, Buoniconti made an immediate impact, as he was named the team's rookie of the year. The following year, he helped Boston capture the 1963 AFL Eastern Division title. With Boston, he appeared in five AFL All-Star Games
American Football League All-Star games
-All-League Teams:The Sporting News published American Football League All-League Teams for each season played by the American Football League, 1960 through 1969...
, and recorded 24 interceptions, which is still the seventh-most in team history. He was named 2nd team All-AFL in 1963 and the following season began a run of five consensus All-AFL seasons in the following six seasons, missing only 1968 when he was named second-team All-AFL. Buoniconti is a member of the Patriots All-1960s (AFL) Team and the AFL All-Time Team
American Football League All-Time Team
The American Football League All- Time Team was selected on January 14, 1970. The first and second teams would be determined by a panel of members of the AFL's Hall of Fame Board of Selectors: Since the First team included two halfbacks, rather than a halfback and a fullback, Cookie Gilchrist, a...
.
He was traded to the AFL's Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1969. He continued to play well with the Dolphins, in 1969-1974
1974 NFL season
The 1974 NFL season was the 55th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl IX when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings...
and 1976
1976 NFL season
The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
, and made the AFL All-Star
American Football League All-Star games
-All-League Teams:The Sporting News published American Football League All-League Teams for each season played by the American Football League, 1960 through 1969...
team in 1969 and the NFL Pro Bowl in 1972
1972 NFL season
The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.-Major rule changes:...
and 1973
1973 NFL season
The 1973 NFL season was the 54th regular season of the National Football League. The season featured O.J. Simpson becoming the first man to rush for 2,000 yards in one season...
. Buoniconti was also named All-AFC in 1972
1972 NFL season
The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.-Major rule changes:...
.
His leadership made him a cornerstone of the Dolphins' defense. During his years there, the team advanced to three consecutive Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
appearances, the second of which was the team's 1972
1972 NFL season
The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.-Major rule changes:...
undefeated season. In 1973
1973 NFL season
The 1973 NFL season was the 54th regular season of the National Football League. The season featured O.J. Simpson becoming the first man to rush for 2,000 yards in one season...
, he recorded a then-team record 162 tackles (91 unassisted). He was named to the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in 1972 and 1973.
Buoniconti ended his career with an unofficial 24 sacks, eighteen with the Patriots and six while with the Dolphins.
He was named the Dolphins' Most Valuable Player three times (1969, 1970, 1973). In 1990, he was voted as a linebacker on the Dolphins' Silver Anniversary All-Time team. On November 18, 1991, he was enshrined on the Miami Dolphin's Honor Roll
The Miami Dolphin Honor Roll
The Miami Dolphin Honor Roll is a ring around the second tier at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, which honors former players, coaches, contributors, and officials who have made significant contributions to the Miami Dolphins franchise....
at Joe Robbie Stadium.
Buoniconti got his law degree
Law degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
during his years with the Patriots. He was a practicing attorney for a short time. He was also president of the US Tobacco Company during the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was a leading critic of studies which showed that smokeless tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
caused cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
of the mouth as well as other types of cancer.
In recent years, he has become the most outspoken member of the 1972 team; it is rumored that he leads a champagne toast every year after the last remaining undefeated team loses for the first time. Also, it is reported that Buoniconti sends a Christmas card every year to former Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
defensive end Bob Lurtsema
Bob Lurtsema
Robert Ross Lurtsema is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, and Seattle Seahawks. He played in two Super Bowls with Vikings...
, whose roughing-the-passer violation in an early 1972 game aided the Dolphins' undefeated season.
Buoniconti also appeared in one of the American Express
American Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
"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 put his verbal talent to use as a co-host of the HBO series Inside the NFL
Inside the NFL
Inside the NFL is a weekly cable television sports show that focuses on the National Football League. It originally aired on HBO from 1977 through 2008...
until 2001. That same year, Buoniconti was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In 1985, after his son Marc suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury making a tackle for The Citadel
The Citadel (military college)
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, also known simply as The Citadel, is a state-supported, comprehensive college located in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. It is one of the six senior military colleges in the United States...
, Nick became the public face of the group that founded the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
Infobox non-profit| name = Miami Project to Cure Paralysis| image =| type = medical| founded_date = 1985| tax_id =| registration_id =| founder = Nick Buoniconti & Barth A. Green, M.D....
, now one of the world's leading neurological research centers.
Buoniconti is a member of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
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 led the team with 74 tackles as the Irish co-captain and was rewarded with 2nd-team All-America selections from UPI, TSNThe Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
, and the Football Coaches' Association.