Nick Buoniconti

American football middle linebacker who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for the Boston Patriots (1962-1968) and Miami Dolphins (1969–1974, 1976). Buoniconti was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, 2001. The honor was particularly poignant to Nick as it was bestowed by his son Marc, 34, a quadriplegic who uses his mouth to steer his motorized wheelchair. Nick played football from the time he was in Springfield Cathedral High school where he was declared Western Massachusetts Athlete of the Century. He became Notre Dame's All-American, an eight-time AFL All-Star or Pro Bowl choice, and anchor of the Dolphins Defense team that in 1972 compiled the only perfect record in modern pro-football history. When leaving pro-ball, Nick became a corporate attorney and President of the U.S. Tobacco Company. He was a co-host of the HBO series Inside the NFL until 2001. Buoniconti openly shared that he struggled with neurological issues, with one or several different diagnoses potentially being the cause. He died on 30 July 2019 in Bridgehampton, New York, at the age of 78. Link to Wikipedia biography