Former Patriot Mosi Tatupu dies at age 54

[COBBLESTONE]

If your as old as me you remember this guy.


Sad news. I remember meeting Mosi about three years ago. I was at a D-III football game at the Coast Guard Academy to see them play Curry. At halftime I walked over to the locker room area and saw Mosi getting ready to take the field with his team. I shook his hand and told him that I enjoyed watching him play in his day, he thanked me. I'll never forget when I shook his hand that my hand pretty much disappeared. I never saw bigger hands in my life, no wonder he seldom fumbled.

RIP Mosi, you lived a good life.

[clenz]

Lofa's (sp) father, correct?

[COBBLESTONE]

Lofa's (sp) father, correct?

Correct.

Mosi Tatupu, one of the most popular players in New England Patriots history, died Tuesday at 54 at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro. A hospital spokeswoman did not reveal the cause of death, but a story in the Honolulu Star Bulletin, reported that Tatupu had struggled with high blood pressure and other ailments.

The Associated Press reported that the Plainville Fire Department responded to Tatupu's home on Tuesday night and transported him to the hospital.

Tatupu played in New England for 13 years after being drafted out of the University of Southern California. He was a Pro Bowl special-teams man who also excelled as a jack-of-all trades fullback with the ability to run, catch and block. He played his final season in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams, in 1991.

A native of American Samoa, Tatupu remained a New England fixture after his playing days had ended. He coached his son -- current Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu -- at King Philip Regional High School in Wrentham, Mass., and at the time of his death was running backs coach at Curry College in Milton, Mass.

Tatupu had 2,415 career rushing yards for the Patriots, including 578 yards on 5.5 yards per carry in 1983. Last season, he was selected to the franchise's 50th anniversary team.

"He was a great athlete," said Steve Grogan in an interview this morning with The Journal's Jim Donaldson. "He could block, carry the ball and catch the ball out of the backfield. He had great hands and he was smart. He could make adjustments on who to block in a split-second."

We'll have more from Grogan and Donaldson later today at projosports.com.

"I know that I share a heavy heart today with Patriots fans everywhere who have learned of Mosi Tatupu's passing," said Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft. "I was shocked by the news this morning. My sons and I loved to watch Mosi. He was one of our favorite players for more than a decade. I don't think you could watch a Patriots game in the '80s without becoming a fan of his. He was a dominant special teams player and a punishing rusher who loved the Patriots as much as the fans did. He gave everything that he had on every play and immediately became a fan favorite. There was an entire section of the stadium known as 'Mosi's Mooses,' but I think everyone in the stadium considered themselves one of his supporters. I am glad that our fans had an opportunity to honor him at last year's season opener when we welcomed back the Patriots 50th Anniversary Team. He was an iconic player and will be remembered for all of his contributions as a Patriot, both on and off the field. Our sincere condolences go out to all of Mosi's family, former teammates and many friends who are mourning his loss today."

"You probably couldn't ask for a better teammate than Mosi," said Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett. "It was the way he approached the game. He worked hard. He practiced hard. He had a way about him. He always had an upbeat attitude, he was happy all the time and just pleasant to be around. He had a special connection with the fans and his teammates. Everybody loved him."

"There was only one Mosi," said former Patriots wide receiver Stanley Morgan. "I first met Mosi the year after I came to the Patriots, when he got here in 1978 and it was love at first sight I guess you could say. He got along great with everybody. He had that air about him that you were comfortable around him all the time and nobody was a stranger around him. People were attracted to that."

Added Pete Brock, the former Pats center: "The thing about Mosi was that he did everything. He wasn't the glamour guy out in front, getting all the carries, he just played football and he played hard. A lot of people remember the 'Snow Plow Game' and, of course, John Smith's kick won it, but it was Mosi, who ran for more than 100 yards that day, that really won that game. It's really a shock and it's so much tougher because we played before the era of free agency, so you really got to know everybody. We were a community. We raised our children together. Because of that it's just like losing a family member."


Skip Bandini, the head football coach at Curry, said the campus community was "very devastated" by the news of Tatupu's death, according to the college web site. "As we all know, Mosi was just the best guy you would ever want to be around," Bandini said.

Tatupu joined the Curry staff in 2002 when the head coach was Steve Nelson, one of Tatupu's former teammates on the Patriots. The Curry athletic director, Vinnie Eruzione, said Tatupu was "a true friend to everyone that he touched. His smile and positive attitude were contagious."