RIP Nick Buoniconti
Miami Beach, FL – July 31, 2019 – Pro Football Hall of Fame middle linebacker Nick Buoniconti, an undersized overachiever who helped lead the Miami Dolphins to the NFL’s only perfect season, has died at the age of 78. “Today, with a heavy heart and profound sorrow, my family and the entire Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and Buoniconti Fund community mourn the loss of a man who was truly larger than life, my father, NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti,” Marc Buoniconti said in a statement. “My dad has been my hero and represents what I have always aspired to be: a leader, a mentor and a champion. Family spokesman Bruce Bobbins said Nick Buoniconti died Tuesday in Bridgehampton, New York.
A cause of death wasn’t immediately known. A native of Springfield, Massachusetts, Buoniconti played guard on offense and linebacker on defense for Notre Dame. But at 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds, he was small for an NFL linebacker. Buoniconti was taken in the 13th round by the Boston Patriots of the upstart AFL and played for them from 1962 to 1968. He made the AFL All-Star Game six times and had 24 career interceptions for the Patriots, including three in a single game in 1968. He said in November 2017 that he would donate his brain for CTE research. He revealed in May of that year that he was suffering from memory loss and could not use his left hand, among other ailments. After his son Marc was paralyzed at age 19 while playing football, Buoniconti was a driving force behind the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, raising hundreds of millions of dollars for research. Nick and Marc were on a Wheaties box in 1997 as part of the Miami Project.
World Red Eye is honored to have captured these honorable moments with Nick Buoniconti.
Source: www.espn.com
Marc & Nick Buoniconti at Destination Fashion 2012 at Bal Harbour Shops on November 10, 2012
Nick Buoniconti at Destination Fashion 2012 at Bal Harbour Shops on November 10, 2012
Dick Anderson, Nick & Mark Buoniconti, & Jim Dunn at 72 Dolphins 35th Perfect Year Anniversary at Prime Blue Grill on December 14, 2007
Nick & Mark Buoniconti, & Jim Dunn at 72 Dolphins 35th Perfect Year Anniversary at Prime Blue Grill on December 14, 2007
Nick & Mark Buoniconti & Jim Dunn at 72 Dolphins 35th Perfect Year Anniversary at Prime Blue Grill on December 14, 2007
Nick Buoniconti, Manny Fernandez, & Dick Anderson at 72 Dolphins 35th Perfect Year Anniversary at Prime Blue Grill on December 14, 2007
Nick & Mark Buoniconti, Jim Dunn, & 72 Dolphins at 72 Dolphins 35th Perfect Year Anniversary at Prime Blue Grill on December 14, 2007
Barth Green, Marc & Nick Buoniconti at Miami Project Schwann Cell FDA Approval on July 31, 2012
Donna Shalala & Nick Buoniconti at Miami Project Schwann Cell FDA Approval on July 31, 2012
Marc & Nick Buoniconti at Miami Project Schwann Cell FDA Approval on July 31, 2012
