| No. 58 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1941-04-10)April 10, 1941 Vonore, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | March 25, 2020(2020-03-25) (aged 78) Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 224 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Tellico Plains (Tellico Plains, Tennessee) | ||||||||
| College: | Tennessee | ||||||||
| AFL draft: | 1962: 13th round, 100th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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David Michael Stratton (April 10, 1941 – March 25, 2020) was an American professionalfootball player who was alinebacker for 12 seasons in theAmerican Football League (AFL) andNational Football League (NFL). He won twoAFL championships with theBuffalo Bills, where he was a six-timeAFL All-Star. He was named to theAFL All-Time Second Team.
Stratton playedcollege football for theTennessee Volunteers. He played professionally for 11 years with the Bills and spent his final season with theSan Diego Chargers. He won two AFL championships with the Bills in 1964 and 1965, with his tackle ofKeith Lincoln in the former game being referred to as “The Hit Heard ‘Round the World”. His contributions as a team leader of a defense that allowed just seven points each in consecutive championship games as resulted in him being called one of the best defensive players in Bills history.[1]
Stratton attended Tellico Plains High inTellico Plains, Tennessee, ahamlet in theGreat Smoky Mountains region.[2][3] Football players there did not attractcollege recruiters, and Tellico Plains athletes rarely went to college. Stratton playedtackle,fullback andwingback.[2]
Stratton received ascholarship fromVolunteers coachBowden Wyatt to play at theUniversity of Tennessee.[2] He was atwo-way player with Tennessee, playingtight end on offense anddefensive end on defense.[4]
Drafted out of college by theBuffalo Bills in the 13th round of the1962 AFL draft, Stratton was selected as anAFL All-Star six straight seasons from 1963 through 1968.[3][5] Bills coachLou Saban teamed him withHarry Jacobs andJohn Tracey to form one of the best linebacking crews, playing together for 62 consecutive games from 1963 through 1967, a pro football record. They helped the Bills defense hold opposing teams without a 100-yard rusher for seventeen consecutive games in1964 and1965, capturingAFL championships in both years.[6]
In the1964 AFL Championship Game against theSan Diego Chargers, Stratton made the memorable "hit heard 'round the world".[7][8] San Diego'sKeith Lincoln had a 38-yard run on the game's opening play.[9][10] The Chargers were leading 7–0 when Stratton drove his shoulder into Lincoln's midsection, breaking the starrunning back's ribs and knocking him out of the game.[5][7] The Bills shut out San Diego for the rest of the game, and won 20–7.[7] In the closing minutes of the first half with Buffalo leading 13–7, the Chargers drove to the Bills' 15, but Strattonintercepted aTobin Rote pass to end the threat. Rote and San Diego coachSid Gillman called the turnover a decisive play.[11] The combined efforts of players such as defensive tackleTom Sestak, cornerbackButch Byrd, and others led to two Bills championships, where they allowed seven points in each contest.
Stratton played 11 seasons for the Bills before ending his career with the Chargers in 1973. He finished his career with 21 interceptions—18 with the Bills and 3 with the Chargers.[5] He was selected to theAFL All-Time Second Team.[12]
After football, Stratton became an executive with insurance company Crump Associates inKnoxville, Tennessee.[13] He and his wife raised three daughters and one son. The son died in 2023.
On March 25, 2020, Stratton died at age 78 from heart complications after a recent fall.[14]
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