Raiders safety was known for vicious tackles

Jack Tatum, 61, the Pro Bowl safety for the Oakland Raiders best known for his crushing hit that paralyzed Darryl Stingley in an NFL preseason game in 1978, died Tuesday.

Nicknamed "the Assassin," Mr. Tatum, died of a heart attack in an Oakland hospital, according to friend and former Ohio State teammate John Hicks. Hicks said Mr. Tatum had diabetes the last several years, and had lost his left leg because of circulation problems.

On Aug. 12, 1978, in a preseason game against the New England Patriots, the hard-hitting Mr. Tatum slammed into Stingley with his helmet while the receiver was running a pass pattern. The blow severed Stingley's fourth and fifth vertebrae and left the receiver paralyzed from the neck down.

The two never met after the hit. Stingley died in 2007.

Mr. Tatum was not penalized on the play and the NFL took no disciplinary action, but it did tighten its rules on violent hits.

Despite Mr. Tatum's failure to show remorse, Hicks said the Raiders star was haunted by the play.

"It was tough on him, too," Hicks said. "He wasn't the same person after that."

Mr. Tatum had said he tried to visit Stingley at an Oakland hospital shortly after the collision but was turned away by Stingley's family members.

He wrote a 1980 book, They Call Me Assassin, in which he was unapologetic for his headhunting ways.

In a statement, the Raiders said, "Jack was the standard bearer and an inspiration for the position of safety throughout college and professional football."

After starring for Ohio State under coach Woody Hayes, Mr. Tatum was drafted in the first round by the Raiders in 1971. In nine seasons with the Raiders, he started 106 of 120 games with 30 interceptions and helped Oakland win the 1976 Super Bowl. He played his final season with Houston in 1980.

Mr. Tatum was a central figure in "The Immaculate Reception" in the Raiders' 1972 playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. With 22 seconds left, he jarred loose a pass to Frenchy Fuqua from Terry Bradshaw, and the ball bounced off Fuqua's foot and ricocheted into the arms of Steelers running back Franco Harris. Harris ran 42 yards for the winning touchdown.

Recruited as a running back at Ohio State, Mr. Tatum would sneak over to the defensive side to play linebacker. The Buckeyes' coaches recognized that Mr. Tatum was a natural on defense.

In his three years as a starter, Mr. Tatum's teams went 27-2 and won two Big Ten titles. The Buckeyes won the national championship in 1968.