NFL receivers expect to get tackled by defenders while catching the ball.
They don’t expect to get tackled so hard that they never walk again.
Unfortunately, that’s what happened to New England Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley in a meaningless preseason game in 1978.
As he was reaching for a pass, Oakland Raiders safety Jack “The Assassin” Tatum collided with Stingley.
45 years ago this evening,
August 12, 1978Raiders safety Jack Tatum delivered a catastrophic hit on Patriots WR Darryl Stingley during a nationally-televised preseason game in Oakland.
Stingley would never walk again.
Without question, one of pro football's darkest hours pic.twitter.com/9v3oCfu7Zg
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) August 12, 2023
Although the hit was legal at the time, the impact broke two vertebrae in the receiver’s spine.
Just like that, Stingley went from being a world-class athlete to a quadriplegic.
In the years after his devastating injury, Stingley lived life to the fullest including finishing his college degree and working in the Patriots’ front office.
Sadly, he would die from health complications due to his condition in 2007.
Today the Stingley name proudly lives on in the NFL as Darryl’s grandson, Derek Stingley Jr., was the third overall pick in the 2022 draft.
This is the story of Darryl Stingley.
Young Football Star
Darryl Floyd Stingley was born on September 18, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois.
BOTD Darryl Stingley#Patriots
pic.twitter.com/EujMu8Iiin— Old Time Football 🏈 (@Ol_TimeFootball) September 18, 2022
The Stingley family lived in the Lawndale section of the city, an area known for its brutality.
Despite his surroundings, Darryl stayed on the straight and narrow path due to his parents’ steady influence and eventually matriculated at John Marshall High School.
While playing with the Commandos, Stingley worked hard to become one of the best running backs in the city and excelled in the classroom.
Several nearby Big Ten schools noticed his play and Stingley exited the ghetto by accepting a scholarship to play at Purdue.
In 1969, Stingley was not eligible to play as the NCAA didn’t allow freshmen to participate in football.
A year later, new Boilermakers head coach Bob DeMoss tried the 6’0” Stingley at the receiver position.
He responded well and quickly became a favorite target of Purdue quarterback Chuck Piebes.
During a road game against third-ranked Stanford, Piebes only passed the ball 20 times.
Nine of his throws, however, found their way into Stingley’s arms and the Boilermakers upset the Indians, 26-14.
“It happened to be the best day of my college career,” Piebes said. “I was 15 for 20, Darryl caught nine passes that day. I just kept going to him.”
Although the team only won four times in 1970, Stingley was a breakout star.
“He was the best athlete on the team by far,” Piebes said. “The guy could do anything. He had a great set of hands.”
Stingley Closes His College Career
In 1971, the Boilermakers started 3-2 then lost the rest of their games.
Stingley, on the other hand, caught career-highs in passes (36), yards (734) and touchdowns (four).
DeMoss also used him in the backfield and Stingley rushed the ball 60 times for 248 yards and three more scores.
By 1972, Gary Danielson lined up under center and he threw the ball to Stingley.
“Like a center fielder making everything look like an easy catch,” Danielson said. “That was, to a tee, how Darryl played.”
The two connected 10 times for 236 yards and one touchdown in Purdue’s ball-control offense.
I need more of these old @BoilerFootball photos from the late 60's-early 70's. (Darryl Stingley, 1972) Always a part of my first remembrances of Purdue football growing up. pic.twitter.com/Nsz5zV3bIL
— Jff Dmrly (@Jffdmrly) April 20, 2019
Stingley also rushed for 226 yards and a touchdown.
Purdue began the year 0-3 then won six of its last eight to finish 6-5.
Stingley was named an honorable mention All-American and All-Big Ten.
He was then selected for three All-Star games in the spring of 1973 including the North-South Shrine Game.
During his college career, Stingley caught 69 passes for 1,256 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 474 yards and four more touchdowns.
Stingley also averaged 18.2 yards per catch which set a program record.
In 2004, he was inducted into the Purdue Athletic Hall of Fame.
First Round Pick
In 1972, the New England Patriots went 3-11.
The franchise needed an overhaul of fresh bodies and hired a new coach in Chuck Fairbanks.
Fairbanks had spent the previous six years as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma.
During that time, the Sooners only lost 15 games and were frequently one of the top programs in the nation.
The coach intended to replicate his success in New England.
John Hannah, Darryl Stingley and Sam Bam Cunningham 1973. pic.twitter.com/eovFVkmpYx
— Old School Boston (@OldSchoolBoston) August 29, 2023
In the 1973 NFL Draft, the Patriots had three first-round selections and started to rebuild by taking Alabama guard John Hannah with the fourth overall pick.
With the 11th overall selection, New England took running back Sam “Bam” Cunningham from USC.
Then, with a pick acquired from the Chicago Bears, the Pats took Stingley.
Heaven Birthday, Darryl Stingley. 🙏
WR, #Patriots 1973-78• Pats' first round selection in 1973 NFL Draft out of #Purdue
• Led the club twice in receiving yards and receiving TDs
• OTD in 1977, he scored a rushing and receiving TD in a 21-17 victoryhttps://t.co/yy8p1P8rGL pic.twitter.com/GMyvOOCIzP— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) September 18, 2020
The rookie receiver was especially excited to play with his new teammate, quarterback Jim Plunkett, the 1971 first-overall pick from Stanford.
The two had faced each other in college with Stingley getting the better of Plunkett and Stanford in 1970.
Although the Boilermakers won that day, Stingley was mesmerized by Plunkett’s arm.
“God, I thought to myself (during the Stanford game),” Stingley wrote in his 1983 book Happy to Be Alive, “catching one of Plunkett’s passes was like plucking a feather from the air.”
Stingley started 10 games as a rookie and plucked 23 of Plunkett’s “feathers” in 1973 for 339 yards and two touchdowns.
New England improved by two wins to finish 5-9.
Stingley and the Pats Improve
Stingley’s reception totals as a rookie were good for fourth on the team.
Wanting to improve on his totals and playing time, the receiver worked his tail off and showcased the work ethic his parents instilled in him.
Unfortunately, during a Week 5 game against the New York Jets, Stingley left the field with a broken arm and wouldn’t return that season.
His loss coincided with the Patriots’ sudden free fall from a 5-0 start to a 7-7 finish.
In 1975, Stingley returned and started 14 games.
Plunkett found him 21 times for 378 yards and two touchdowns.
New England only won three games and the franchise lost faith in Plunkett.
During the ‘75 draft, the organization had selected Kansas State quarterback Steve Grogan in the fifth round and started him seven times as a rookie.
The Patriots then sent Plunkett to San Francisco before the 1976 season and turned to their second-year signal caller.
September 26, 1976
Chuck Fairbanks lead Patriots come back from down 11 points in the 3rd Qtr to stun the back-to-back Super Bowl Champion Steelers (30-17)
Grogan TD passes to Russ Francis and Darryl Stingley
Ben Dreith would ruin the season laterhttps://t.co/7H8J5gq3B8
— Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) September 26, 2022
Stingley, who was nicknamed “Stinger” by the fans, posted 17 receptions for 370 yards and four touchdowns.
Grogan lifted the franchise to an unthinkable 11-3 record and a return to the playoffs for the first time since 1963.
Although the team lost to the Oakland Raiders in the divisional round, big things were expected in 1977.
The late Darryl Stingley, 1977. #Patriots pic.twitter.com/2V2iYdWJhD
— Ken Gelman (@kengfunk) July 10, 2017
While Stingley developed a loyal fan following and snagged a team-best 39 catches for 657 yards and six scores (including one rushing touchdown), the Pats went 9-5 and just missed the postseason that year.
The Hit
Even though New England had added another deep threat in Stanley Morgan in the 1977 draft, Stingley led the team in receptions for the second year in a row.
Not only was he a bona fide star, Stingley’s teammates loved him and sang along as he crooned Stevie Wonder tunes.
The Patriots’ front office knew what they had in their soon-to-be sixth-year receiver and offered Stingley a contract extension that would pay him handsomely.
Not wanting to be a distraction, Stingley agreed to the deal but told management he would sign it after the 1978 preseason.
In a cruel twist of fate, he would never get that chance.
On August 12, New England faced the Raiders in a preseason tilt in Oakland.
At one point in the second quarter, Grogan spied Stingley on a slant route and rifled the ball in his direction.
As the ball neared the receiver, Raiders safety Jack Tatum, known universally as “The Assassin,” lit into Stingley with a forearm as the ball sailed past.
42 years ago today, Raiders S Jack Tatum delivered “The Hit” that left Patriots WR Darryl Stingley in a wheelchair for life. He never apologized, despite writing 3 books referencing him being an NFL assassin in the title and even having his own leg amputated. He died in 2010 pic.twitter.com/wehW1Zh13Z
— D (@GunslingerViews) August 12, 2020
Stingley immediately fell to the turf in a heap.
Teammate Russ Francis sprinted over to his friend’s motionless body and signaled for the Patriots medical staff.
“He was fearless going after the ball,” Hannah said. “He ran a lot of across-the-middle patterns. Those are tough patterns. If a quarterback throws the ball a little high, he’s exposed wide-open. That’s what happened against Oakland. But he never cowered away from catching the ball.”
The training staff for both teams went to Stingley’s aid, carefully placed him on a stretcher, and then whisked him away in an ambulance.
Aftermath
Tatum’s hit was not illegal at the time.
Although the impact was brutal, no flag was thrown and the game continued.
Meanwhile, Stingley was taken to a nearby hospital.
After doctors examined the receiver, the NFL world learned days later what happened.
“There’s been a fracture and dislocation of the fourth and fifth vertebrae,” said a Patriots team doctor, “and a subsequent compression of the spinal cord that immediately rendered Darryl quadriplegic.”
When Stingley’s wife, Martine, was called and told the news, she composed herself and told the couple’s seven-year-old son, Derek, what happened.
The boy was too young to understand what being paralyzed meant.
“He can’t move his body,” explained Martine. “He can’t move his arms or legs or anything.”
When Tatum was reached for comment, he regretted the incident but explained that it was part of the job.
“…but you can’t get emotional about it. You don’t like to see any player get hurt, but football is a contact sport and that’s a real dangerous pattern. We don’t even run it in practice. But I had to do what I had to do. It was my job, and he was doing his job.”
Madden Keeps Vigil
Immediately after the game ended, Raiders head coach John Madden drove to the hospital.
Upon arrival, he noticed that no other visitors were waiting to see Stingley.
Madden couldn’t understand why none of the Patriots players or coaches were present.
The receiver’s condition had not yet been announced and Madden found out the Pats were at a nearby airport ready to depart for New England.
Acting quickly, the coach called the airport and had the team plane return to their gate.
Due to his condition, Stingley stayed at the hospital while the team eventually returned home after visiting their fallen star.
Awesome feature during halftime tonight about John Madden’s friendship with former #Patriots WR Darryl Stingley. pic.twitter.com/slEK8oqjTs
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) November 24, 2023
Madden and his wife, Virginia, continued to visit Stingley often.
“After the game, when we found out that Darryl was paralyzed, John told him that from now on he was a Raider and we should treat him as one,” said then-Raiders guard Gene Upshaw.
Even when Stingley was released, Madden and Upshaw continued to stay in touch with him and remained friends for the next several decades.
Coping With Disability
Shortly after the incident, Stingley was able to move his right arm to some extent.
However, he would be classified as a quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair.
September 3, 1979
(*Viewer discretion advised*)#Patriots WR Darryl Stingley returns to Foxboro's Schaefer Stadium.Left paralyzed from a hit by the Raiders' Jack Tatum in a 1978 preseason game, Stingley is honored with an introduction and subsequent emotional 3-minute ovation.… pic.twitter.com/XKu5h1IemO
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) September 4, 2023
Initially, Derek Stingley couldn’t grasp why his father was no longer Superman.
“I remember his little heart was so pure,” said Darryl of Derek. “He just couldn’t understand that his father could not move. He just couldn’t, and he would come over and sit by me and say, ‘Daddy, can I exercise your hands and your arms?’ This little kid wanted me to move that bad. He had that much love in him that he wanted to fix what was broke. He thought that he could.”
Stingley forgave Tatum but the former safety never apologized for the hit.
“He has not contacted me, not even a mystery postcard. The bottom line is that I feel sorry for him,” Stingley said in 1983. “He’s a man that can’t bend to really be a man. Sitting in my wheelchair, I’m taller than he is.”
According to Tatum, he tried on several occasions to reach out to Stingley but was rebuffed each time.
Stingley would recount years later that each time Tatum tried to extend an olive branch, it felt like there were financial motives attached.
He also didn’t appreciate that Tatum wrote three books with “Assassin” in the title.
One of the lines in Tatum’s first book, “They Call Me Assassin,” especially made Stingley cringe.
"I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault." – Jack Tatum pic.twitter.com/GVlPpqANoW
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) January 7, 2016
“I like to believe that my best hits border on felonious assault,” wrote Tatum.
In 2003, Tatum lost his left leg below the knee due to diabetes.
He also lost his right leg due to the condition a short time later.
Although many viewed Tatum’s health issues as karma, Stingley never shared those views.
“You can’t, as a human being, feel happy about something like that happening to another human being,” Stingley said. “Maybe the natural reaction is to think he got what was coming to him but I don’t accept human nature as our real nature. Human nature teaches us to hate. God teaches us to love.”
Like Father, Like Son, Like Grandson
Stingley’s NFL career ended after five years, 110 receptions, 1,883 yards, 14 touchdowns, 244 rushing yards and two rushing scores.
One would be inclined to think that Stingley’s children would stay as far away from the game as possible.
That proved incorrect as Derek played small college ball and then made a career in Arena Football.
It’s all about that Firebirds Blood.
Did you know @HoustonTexans CB Derek Stingley Jr. is son of legendary Albany Firebird and Arenabowl XIII champion Derek Stingley Sr.! Stingley Sr. played for the Firebirds from 1996-2000. 🔥🦅@stingjr @OfficialAFL pic.twitter.com/h4eHDPzoo6
— Albany Firebirds (@FirebirdsAFL) January 20, 2024
In an all-too-familiar moment, Derek was seriously injured during a game in 1998.
As he was being transported to a nearby hospital, Derek thought about his dad and made a request.
“Whatever you do, do not call my dad. Let me be the one to tell him. Do not call my father,” he said.
Darryl was contacted by one of Derek’s teammate’s and the father feared for his son’s life.
Thankfully, Derek fully recovered and continued his career.
After retiring as a player, Derek became a coach at the Arena level.
The #Texans are selecting LSU CB Derek Stingley Jr. with their third-overall pick.
WELCOME TO HOUSTON! pic.twitter.com/qema8vzmzy
— Nick Schwager (@NickSchwagerNFL) April 29, 2022
His son, Derek Stingley Jr., caught the football bug from his dad and grandfather and, coincidentally, played cornerback.
“I don’t think my family is worried about me having an injury like my grandpa,” said Derek Jr., in 2018. “You can’t play scared. I don’t think about it at all when I’m playing. I do think about my last name and [trying to] bring praise to the family.”
After starring at LSU, Derek Jr was the third overall pick of the Houston Texans in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Stingley Dies
When Darryl Stingley returned to Massachusetts following his injury, the team owner at the time, Billy Sullivan, balked at paying his hospital bills.
That idea ended after overwhelming public backlash and the team wisely paid for his medical expenses for the remainder of his life.
New England also hired Stingley to be its player personnel director and paid for his children’s education.
In 1992, Stingley finished his bachelor’s degree in physical education by taking correspondence courses.
A year later, he started a non-profit organization to serve at-risk youth in Chicago.
Through the years, former teammates visited Stingley and he was a source of inspiration for both the able-bodied and handicapped.
“I don’t think I could have handled it had I lost my career that early in pro football. It was hard enough after 13 years,” Hannah said. “But, gosh, to be as good as Darryl was and to have his career cut short like that … to watch him live life the way he lived it, with that grin on his face, it was an inspiration. It’s something beyond belief.”
On April 5, 2007, that grin left Stingley’s face as he passed away at age 55 from complications of pneumonia and heart disease that were directly linked to his quadriplegia.
Darryl Stingley 💔 pic.twitter.com/LqRmAIy7XU
— Steve Roie5 (@SteveRoies) January 8, 2023
Although his career and life ended much too soon, Stingley is still highly regarded and his name carries on in the NFL due to his grandson.
Even Tatum, who would pass away himself three years later due to diabetes, recognized Stingley’s contributions as a father and husband.
“I am deeply saddened by the death of Darryl Stingley,” Tatum said in a statement released by the Raiders. “Darryl will be forever remembered for his strength and courage. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”
References
https://web.archive.org/web/20070428111738/http://www.thirdside.org/stories_26.cfm
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/darryl-stingley-1.html
https://www.thescore.com/nfl/news/2340813
https://www.si.com/nfl/patriots/news/new-england-derek-stingley-darryl-family-draft
https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/stingley-darryl
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/StinDa00.htm
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-apr-06-me-stingley6-story.html
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/226128-remembering-darryl-stingley-the-player-the-hit-the-man
https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2826562
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