 Buoniconti, circa 1975 | |||||||
| No. 85 | |||||||
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| Position | Linebacker | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1940-12-15)December 15, 1940 Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | July 30, 2019(2019-07-30) (aged 78) Bridgehampton, New York, U.S. | ||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Cathedral (Springfield) | ||||||
| College | Notre Dame | ||||||
| AFL draft | 1962: 13th round, 102nd overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
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| Career statistics | |||||||
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Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti (/ˌboʊnəˈkɒnti/, December 15, 1940 – July 30, 2019) was an American professionalfootball player who was amiddle linebacker in theAmerican Football League (AFL) andNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theNotre Dame Fighting Irish. Buoniconti played professionally for theBoston Patriots andMiami Dolphins, winning twoSuper Bowls with the Dolphins. He was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.[1]
Nicholas Buoniconti was born to Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti Sr. and Pasqualina "Patsy" Mercolino inSpringfield, Massachusetts. The couple ran a family bakery in the predominantly ItalianSouth End of the city called Mercolino's Italian Bakery (closed in its 99th year around September 2017). The 3rd generation family bakery was located at 1011 East Columbus Ave., Springfield, MA, 01105. Buoniconti was raisedRoman Catholic and played football forCathedral High School, where a plaque honoring him as a "Hometown Hall of Famer" was unveiled in 2012.[2][3]
Buoniconti graduated fromNotre Dame and was drafted by theAmerican Football League's Patriots in the 13th round of the 1962 AFL draft.
In 1985, his son Marc suffered aspinal cord injury making a tackle forThe Citadel, rendering him aquadriplegic.[4] Buoniconti became the public face of the group that founded theMiami Project to Cure Paralysis, now one of the world's leading neurological research centers.[1]
Buoniconti was married twice and had three children by his first marriage.
In 1960 as a junior, Buoniconti was second on the Fighting Irish in tackles with 71. As a senior in 1961, he led the team with 74 tackles as the Irish co-captain and was rewarded with 2nd-team All-America selections fromUPI,TSN, and the Football Coaches' Association. Buoniconti was the only All-American on Notre Dame's 1961 team.
As a tackle, Buoniconti was the captain of the 1961 Notre Dame football team, but NFL scouts considered him too small to play professional football. Drafted in the 13th round by the Boston Patriots in the1962 American Football League college draft and switched to linebacker, Buoniconti made an immediate impact, and he was named the team's rookie of the year. The following year, Buoniconti helped Boston capture the1963 AFL Eastern Division title. With Boston, Buoniconti appeared in fiveAFL All-Star Games and recorded 24 interceptions. Buoniconti was named 2nd team All-AFL in1963 and the following season began a run of five consensus All-AFL seasons in the following six seasons, missing only 1968 when Buoniconti was named second-team All-AFL. Buoniconti is a member of the Patriots All-1960s (AFL) Team and theAFL All-Time Team.
The Boston Patriots into traded Buoniconti to the AFL'sMiami Dolphins in1969 by sending the Patriots the highlight films of their 3rd string quarterback, Kim Hammond. The Patriots did not work out Hammond and relied solely on the films provided by the Dolphins. Initially Buoniconti refused to report to Miami and threatened retirement but was ultimately persuaded by the Dolphins to join the football team.
Buoniconti was entering his prime at 28 years old. He played for the Miami Dolphins in1969–1974 and1976 and made theAFL All-Star team in1969 and the NFL Pro Bowl in1972 and1973, when Buoniconti led the Dolphins to Super Bowl wins. Buoniconti was also named All-AFC in1972.
Buoniconti's leadership made him a cornerstone of the Dolphins' defense. During his years there, the team advanced to three consecutiveSuper Bowl appearances underDon Shula, the second of which was the team's1972undefeated season. In1973, Buoniconti recorded a then-team record 162 tackles (91 unassisted). He was named to theAFC-NFC Pro Bowl in 1972 and 1973.
Buoniconti ended his career with an unofficial 24 sacks, 18 with the Patriots and six while with the Dolphins. His 32 career interceptions rank him third all-time among NFL linebackers. His interception ofBilly Kilmer late in the second quarter ofSuper Bowl VII set up Miami's second touchdown, which proved to be the clincher in the Dolphins' 14–7 victory over theWashington Redskins to complete the 17–0 season.
Buoniconti 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, Buoniconti was enshrined on theMiami Dolphin's Honor Roll atHard Rock Stadium.
Buoniconti earned a J.D. degree fromSuffolk University Law School during his years with the Patriots. He was a practicing attorney for a short time. As an agent, he represented some 30 professional athletes, including baseball playersBucky Dent andAndre Dawson.[1] He was also president of theUnited States Tobacco Company during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Buoniconti was a leading critic of studies which showed thatsmokeless tobacco causedcancer of the mouth as well as other types of cancer.
In a televised interview on theComedy Channel toward the end of 1990, when asked his reaction to the last two undefeated teams of the season suffering losses the same Sunday, Buoniconti, indicating his cheerful countenance, toldNight After Night'sAllan Havey, "You know, I think this smile might just stay permanently on my face."[5]
Buoniconti also appeared in one of theMiller Lite "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 thateveryone 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 was a co-host of the HBO seriesInside the NFL from 1978 until 2001. In 2001, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he joined hisInside the NFL co-hostLen Dawson, who was inducted in 1987.
Buoniconti is a member of theNational Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
Buoniconti openly shared that he struggled withneurological issues, with one or several different diagnoses potentially being the cause.[1] On November 3, 2017, he announced that he would posthumously donate his brain to aidCTE research.[6] In March 2018, he joined with former NFL starsHarry Carson andPhil Villapiano to support a parent initiative called Flag Football Under 14, which advises no tackle football under that age.[7]
Buoniconti died ofpneumonia on July 30, 2019, inBridgehampton, New York, at the age of 78.[8] He was one of at least 345NFL players to be diagnosed after death with CTE, which is caused by repeated hits to the head.[9][10]
Media related toNick Buoniconti at Wikimedia Commons