Foxborough, Massachusetts The New England Patriots are profoundly sorry to learn of the death of former Patriots punter-quarterback Tom Yewcic at the age of 88. Yewcic played in only nine games over two seasons with the Patriots, including eight starts, before being released by New England. He finished his NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams and Oakland Raiders in 1958 and '59, respectively. Yewcic started three games for the Patriots in 1957, finishing with 33 punts for 919 yards (27.7 average) with five touchdowns against one interception.
He was drafted by Boston College out of the Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York. Yewcic spent four years in the service before going to BC, where he was a three-year starter at quarterback. He completed 62 percent of his passes for 3,674 yards and 36 touchdowns vs. 13 interceptions.
After graduating from BC, Yewcic went on to play two seasons with the Patriots, who had an opening at quarterback after Bart Starr retired after the 1956 season. Yewcic replaced an injured Starr in their first game that year, a 20-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. He stayed in as the starter until December when he was replaced by Lou Rymkus.
The club relocated to Foxborough in 1971, when they became the New England Patriots. The Patriots played their home games at Foxboro Stadium from 1971 through 2001. Past Patriots quarterbacks include Hall of Fame honorees Babe Parilli, Steve Grogan, and Drew Bledsoe. Current Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is considered one of the best ever to play the position.
Brady was born on January 4, 1976, in Miami Beach, Florida. He attended The Walbrook School in London, where he played football, ran track, and threw discus. After high school, he went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he played quarterback for the MIT Engineers football team. In 1994, his senior year, he led the team to its first undefeated regular season in over 50 years. That same year, he was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 199th pick in the 1994 NFL Draft. However, he refused to sign with the team until after the NCAA season ended so he could continue playing.
After graduating from MIT with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, he went back to play for the Patriots. In the 1997 season, he helped lead the team to its first Super Bowl victory. Since then, he has been named to multiple all-star teams and won another championship in 2004. In addition, he has thrown for over 30,000 yards in his career.
For the 2021 season, Brian Hoyer will return to Foxborough. The Patriots have signed the 35-year-old quarterback to a one-year contract, his agent revealed Monday night. Hoyer, a 13-year veteran, was Tom Brady's backup from 2009 to 2011. He lost his job to Jimmy Garoppolo and didn't see any action in New England. However, he did not sign with another team as a free agent.
Hoyer played three seasons for the Cleveland Browns after being traded from the Chicago Bears. In 2015, he led the Browns to their first win over the Pittsburgh Steelers since 1999 by throwing four touchdowns against one interception. He spent 2016 out of football after undergoing ankle surgery.
In 2017, Hoyer returned to action and threw for 2,894 yards with 16 touchdowns vs. eight interceptions. He finished second in MVP voting that year.
During his NFL career, Hoyer has thrown for 100 touchdowns versus 49 interceptions. He has also been sacked 400 times. Hoyer started 70 games during his 10-year career with the Bears and Browns, completing 60 percent of his passes for 12,021 yards with 92 touchdowns vs. 43 interceptions.
Brady announced his retirement on April 18 after playing 20 seasons in Boston. He won five Super Bowl titles with the Patriots and is considered one of the best quarterbacks of all time.
Tom Brady, at the age of 43, is the NFL's oldest active player and one of the game's oldest quarterbacks. Brady had spent practically his entire career with the New England Patriots prior to 2020. Brady was picked by the Patriots in 2000 as the team's backup quarterback. He won a state title at Michigan State University before going on to have a successful career as a starter for the Massachusetts Patriots. In 2007, he became the first quarterback to win the MVP award when he was chosen by his peers over Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.
In 2016, Brady played in his fourth Super Bowl victory. He has three MVP awards and two Super Bowl victories under his belt. The last time the Patriots played in the NFL Championship Game was 2004. They lost to the Carolina Panthers 23-29.
Brady will likely end his career as one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. He is only behind John Elway and Terry Bradshaw among all-time greats for most career touchdown passes (218). Brady also ranks third all-time in yards per attempt (7.6).
The oldest living former NFL player is George Allen, who was born on April 22, 1895. He played eight seasons in the league, including five with the Chicago Bears from 1919 to 1923 and again from 1926 to 1927. Allen died in February 1994 at the age of 95.
Copyright © 2020 - 2023 Sportsmanist Inc.
