As the Hall of Fame Turns: A sports soap opera
Should Jack “Assassin” Tatum be inducted into the HOF?
By Paul Turse aka Samurai Raider
It took Susan Lucci (All My Chldren)19 nominations to get the recognition that she deserved for her portrayal of that villainous, yet charismatic character, Erika Kane, envied and hated each day by millions of soap opera fans. Involved in transgressions ranging from backstabbing, to kidnapping and murder, Erika Kane became a household word for “femme fatale.”1 Although she began her career in 1970, it was not until 1999, after 29 years as an icon, that Lucci won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Now, not that I ever saw her perform or ever watched the soaps, but I have a “friend” who has informed me that this ever popular star was highly deserving of the award and should not have been slighted for so many years.
If Lucci were an NFL player, she would have made the Pro Football Hall of Fame (HOF) if we were to apply the standards presented by Jack O’Connell. Although he oversees the Baseball Hall of Fame voting, his criteria are sound in regard to the HOF: "Speaking for myself, not our 498 other voters, to me a Hall of Famer is that player who was dominant at his position in his era…. You have to ask yourself the simple question: Did he achieve fame?”2 Was Lucci a dominant player in her position, or in her role, and was she famous? There is no doubt that anyone who can sustain a character for 29 years and still maintain the intrigue and interest that this superstar has is, indeed, a dominating performer. Certainly, not many soap opera fans would argue that Erika Kane is one of the most famous (or notorious) characters ever created for daytime drama. Why it took such an outstanding actress such as Lucci so long to receive her Emmy could only be attributed to the politics behind the award and perhaps the soap operatic drama going on behind the scenes. The only other possibility is that the selection committee could not separate Susan Lucci from Erika Kane and thus could not bestow any accolades on such a despicable persona.
Now, you might argue that the world of Pro Football and the world of Soap Opera are light years apart. However, you could speculate that the selection process by which a pro football player is inducted into the Hall of Fame is not without its share of politics and soap opera dynamics, similar perhaps to those that confronted and frustrated the resilient Lucci, who may have been stigmatized by her role. How else can you explain the fact that Jack “Assassin” Tatum, who started his pro career in 1971, has yet to be inducted into the HOF? If you apply the criteria suggested above, Tatum should have been inducted long ago. It’s hard to argue that he was not dominant in his position and that he is not one of the most famous, albeit notorious, players to ever have played the game.
Selection Committee- In regard to politics, it is interesting to note that the Hall of Fame itself has nothing to do with the selection process. The Hall of Fame staff is merely the custodial and maintenance operation. The “brains” of the operation, although that may be a misnomer, is made up of 38 members, 31 of whom are media representatives from the cities that host a pro team. Member number 32 represents the Pro Football Writers of America; the remaining members—six at-large delegates—are also media personnel. The PFWA rep serves a two-year appointment, while all of the other appointments are “open-ended” and, if the members make scheduled meetings, they keep their positions until retirement or resignation.3
In other words, the prestigious Hall of Fame is really a glorified media poll—if not a good ol’ boys club. The following mock skating scenario may illustrate what appears to be the crux of the selection process problem, at least as far as the media membership concerned….
Michelle Kwan bows after completing a triple salchow (and you thought it was a “sow-cow”). Then, amidst the roses strewn on the ice, this American skater glides to the waiting area, where she nervously anticipates her scores from the judges. After the scores for technical skill are put up, she needs a 5.9 average in the artistic impression category to defeat her Communist bloc opponent. After the highest and lowest scores are thrown out, the remaining five scores are as follows: The NY Times rep: 6.0; the Rolling Stone rep: 5.8; the La Sicilia rep: 5.8; the Mainichi Shimbun rep: 6.0; and the Pravda rep: 5.6…. Total score: 5.8. The United States loses another gold medal. Not only would the fans be arguing that there could have been some political bias on the part of the Pravda rep, but they certainly would also be wondering just what in the blazes do media reps know about Olympic Women’s Figure Skating competition.
Some media reps and sportswriters are quite knowledgeable about sports. (All right, present writer excepted. Good one!) However, when it comes to choosing inductees into the HOF, it seems ludicrous to place such a high degree of responsibility in the hands of those who may never have played the game, let alone played with or played against the individuals they will vote on. The system would have more integrity if at least 50% of the committee were made up of coaches and players; thus, there would be some representation from those individuals who are better qualified to judge the credentials of the nominees.
Dominant in his position-- To say that Tatum was dominant in his position as a defensive back is an understatement. When it comes to expert testimony, and not popularity by the media, it will be noted that, when it comes to dominance, Tatum has been compared in the same breath with recent inductee Ronnie Lott by former Super Bowl coach John Madden. In fact, Tatum has been named to the Madden All-Millenium team.4 Of the 8 DBs that appear on the Madden team, only Tatum has not been named to the Hall of Fame. Tatum’s name also appears on many all-pro fantasy teams created by fans and sportswriters and other knowledgeable individuals in the field. Tatum certainly understands this dilemma and in his usual blunt and candid style told Area Chica, "I don't need to have a bunch of sportswriters telling me how good I was or if I'm good enough to go to the Hall of Fame. Most of those guys never even played football, and they're going to tell me how good I was?”
Aside from sharing the record for the longest fumble return (l04 yds), Tatum achieved fame for his hard-hitting defensive play. Offensive receivers were often intimidated by the threat of being hammered whenever they cut through the turf that Tatum protected with all the tenacity of a junkyard dog. Earning the reputation as being one of hardest hitters in pro football, Tatum not only achieved a level of performance that exceeded that of defensive backs that preceded him, but set the standard for those who followed. When young college or rookie pro DBs discuss their goals or their accomplishments, many of them compare themselves to Tatum or aspire to be like him. Even Ronnie Lott notes that Tatum was the standard by which aspiring DBs modeled themselves: "When I was a kid and you were on the defensive side of the ball, everyone wanted to be Jack Tatum."5 Having the respect of coaches, like Madden, and players, like Lott, gives Tatum strong evidence to support his contention about the politics of the selection process. “It doesn’t bother me because the guys I played with and against all know who the real players were,” Tatum told Area Chica with conviction.
Achieving fame-- You need only browse through Google.com for Jack Tatum, and you will be amazed how many sites include references to this outstanding player. A high level executive who wants to impress his colleagues about the impact of a product says it will hit like Jack Tatum. A combat specialist makes a point by saying that Bobby Kennedy should have had Tatum for a bodyguard. A father proudly exclaims that his hockey-playing son hit like Tatum.
Although some references are positive, many of the references are negative and regurgitate the tragic hit on Patriot wideout Darryl Stingley on August 12, 1978, a legal hit that cracked vertebrae in his neck and left him paralyzed. Phrases such as “brutal tackle,” “vicious (but legal) hit,” “cheap shot,” and “bordering on illegal” are spewed out by many individuals who may not have seen the play or replay, and may never have participated in football or any other contact sport. The event is linked on a website with the 1972 Olympic Massacre. Many writers cannot resist the temptation to link the Stingley accident with cheap shots in hockey. You know, attacks on an unsuspecting player by cracking him across the temple with a weapon (or a hockey stick). In discussions about the dangers of boxing, once again Jack’s name pops up. Even more absurd, one writer apparently makes Tyson’s illegal attack on Holyfield sound like an affectionate ear nibbling compared to Tatum’s tackle on Stingley, an event that occurred some 14 years earlier.
Some writers imply Tatum deliberately had the crippling of Stingley as his goal. Now, sportswriters may have some kind of special awareness or perception. However, mental telepathy is certainly not one of their most cultivated commodities, especially in regard to an event that may have occurred well before some of them knew the difference between Jack Tatum and Goose Tatum, or Tatum O’Neal, for that matter. The only one who knows is Jack himself. Now because Tatum gloried in his ability to knock people out, it does not follow that he wanted to cripple his opponents literally. In the 10 pro seasons that he played and the astronomical number of hits he put on players, the unfortunate and tragic injury to Stingley seems to be an anomaly. In reference to the Stingley accident, Tatum says, “There's no way to change yesterday. I was paid to hit, the harder the better. And I hit, and I knocked people down and knocked people out. But sooner or later they would always get back up. Yes, they got up every time except one.”6 Although the rules in regard to hitting have been changed in the NFL in an effort to help minimize the type of injury that ended Stingley’s career, the dynamics of good tackling have not changed.
Anyone who has played football, especially as a defensive back, knows that unless you attack your opponent with 100% commitment, you will be the one who will get the full force of the hit and then some. As Tatum explains in his book The Final Confessions of NFL Assassin Jack Tatum, “When you lay back, the offensive man builds up his momentum and is doing the hitting while the defensive man is getting hit. Good defensive football amounts to mass times velocity. The faster I can move toward impact, and the more violently I can drive my body through a target, the more effective my hit will be. This way I am doing the hitting and the offensive player is absorbing the punishment.”7 As harsh as it may seem, these are the dynamics and mechanics of sound football.
The same dynamics and mechanics are at work when a karate expert drives his fist through a layer of concrete blocks. Unless there is 100% commitment and unless there is a resolve to drive right through the pile, the fist will stop at the point of contact and the concrete will not break, but injury to the fist invariably will occur. Tatum restates this principle in terms of tackling an opponent: “It just becomes a matter of building up a full head of speed and driving through him. My method is similar to a karate punch. I concentrate on a point one yard or so behind the man I’m going after, and on impact, I drive to that point.”8
The stigma of the Assassin-- As you might have expected, Tatum’s name pops up in an indictment of the terrorists who played prominent roles in the attacks of 9/11. Even though the reference is not a negative one, the stigma is there simply by association. Thus, the question arises as to whether the events of that tragic day in the history of the United States will be a further hindrance to Jack Tatum’s induction. In the wake of terrorism, it may not be the best time to have “Assassin” for a nickname. The word is derived from “hashish,” the substance used by secret orders of Muslims during the Crusades to induce assassins to carry out the deed that often led not just to the destruction of a foe but also to their own demise. Thus, the word has a negative association: the cold-blooded, unfeeling killer. And this is where the tragedy turns to melodrama in the story of Jack Tatum. Even today, in polls asking who is the meanest or most ruthless player, Tatum’s name often comes near the top of the list. One reason often cited is the belief that Tatum never attempted to contact Stingley after the hit, a controversial opinion that Tatum does not necessarily share.9 The debate is compounded by the fact that Tatum attempted to meet Stingley on national TV in conjunction with the debut of Final Confessions, a move viewed by Stingley’s agent as a political and publicity opportunity.10 Another version of the story is that a reporter—not Stingley’s agent—alerted the former Patriot to the fact that Tatum was using the meeting in conjunction with a book. It seems that Stingley was led to believe that there was something unethical about the proposal. 11 One thing is certain: even though the televised meeting never occurred, Final Confessions became a best-seller. What really went down is something that only Tatum and Stingley know for sure. Moreover, it is an issue that should be left in the past and left out of the HOF selection process.
The fear that inhabits our national psyche today in the wake of the attack on NYC may cause the Selection Committee to unconsciously associate the name “assassin” with the terrorism. However, the members need to remember that “Assassin” is just a nickname, and Tatum would have been a hard-hitter by any other name, and the unfortunate injury to Stingley no doubt would still have occurred. When Tatum was in his heyday, the appellation was meant to be part of the hype and mystique that surrounded the Raiders. It was all part of the soap opera of football to indulge in love/hate relationships with our favorite characters. If you were a Raiders’ fan in those days, then you thrilled to the sight of Tatum putting the big hit on a receiver. If you were a Raiders’ hater, then you could not wait to see them lose or hope that some blocking back would put Jack on his back or on another more appropriate part of his anatomy. Finally, it must be remembered that the word assassin can be a positive term. Assassins need to be prepared to die and sacrifice themselves for a cause. Tatum, listed at 6-feet and 210 lbs, was not that big of a brute by NFL standards. The hits he put on larger and stronger tight ends could have resulted in his own demise. That is the risk of the game.
The concept of Soap Opera in regard to Jack is evidenced by the fact that Oprah called Tatum and wanted him to appear with Stingley in a show dealing with “people you love to hate.”12 How the Hall of Fame “turns” in regard to the nomination of Jack Tatum should be determined on objective factors. Few players have become the standard for their position or have been part of the language as much as Tatum has. Anytime a writer wants to define a hard hit, he or she invokes the name of Tatum. Yes, he was dominant and he did achieve fame, as notorious as it might be. Bender summarizes things nicely: “Tatum was a two-time All-American at Ohio State, won two Super Bowls with the Raiders and was arguably the most feared player in the league's history. Quarterbacks, however, did not throw at Tatum because receivers did not want to end up in a morgue.”13 Of course, Bender does not expect his readers to take his morgue reference literally. The taking of things too literally, as seems to be the case today in many situations, sets a dangerous precedent. One only has to recall the elementary school girl who jokingly told a classmate that if he looked at her homework, she would “kill” him. The child was removed from school, the authorities called, and she was no doubt made to undergo emergency psychiatric evaluation.
No decision—the Emmys or the HOF—should be based on politics or should be bogged down by soap operatic melodramatics. Susan Lucci’s name became synonymous with “loser.” Many writers would humorously define their careers by saying that they were the Susan Lucci of their fields. (OK, so that makes me the Lucci of sportswriting. Another good one!) But the talented star finally got her due 29 years after her debut. Jack Tatum’s name has become synonymous with hard-hitting. The impact he made on the football field has reverberated throughout all fields of endeavor. It has been just over 30 years since Tatum made his NFL debut. So, isn’t it due time that Tatum has the “luck of Lucci” and finally gets the award that he so rightly deserves?
However, being inducted into the HOF is not an achievement that Tatum particularly covets: “It doesn’t bother me if I don’t get in,” he says, shrugging the thought off. “It’s not something that I really harp over; it would be nice, but if I don’t it’s no big deal…. I’m happy working for the NFL and being there on game day at the Net (Network Associates Coliseum) with the Raiders on the sidelines. The way I look at it is that I had a great career, and I’m very happy with the way it went. I played and now I’m a full time dad, happy and married with children.” January 10, 2002
May the Autumn Wind be with you!
Copyright ã 2001 Paul Turse
All Rights Reserved
Notes
1For a synopsis of the activities of this fascinating persona, click on http://www.soapcentral.com/amc/whoswho/erica.php
2 Quoted in Greg Garber, “No easy answer for Hall of Fame material,” (http://espn.go.com/gen/s/hall/main.html).
3 Info taken from Pro Football Hall of Fame (http://www.profootballhof.com/enshrinement/selection_process.cfm).
4All Madden.com (http://www.allmadden.com/allmadden/millen_list.sml).
5All Madden.com (http://www.allmadden.com/allmadden/players/jack_tatum.sml).
6Jack Tatum with Bill Kushner, Final Confessions of NFL Assassin Jack Tatum, Quality Sports Publications excerpts (http://www.qualitysportsbooks.com/Tatum.htm).
7Jack Tatum with Bill Kushner, Final Confessions of NFL Assassin Jack Tatum, Amazon.com book excerpts (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/books/1885758073/reader/5/103-8642820-8724624#reader-link).
8Jack Tatum with Bill Kushner, cited above.
9Jim Litke, “Pick Up the Phone and Make that Call, Tatum,” (http://www.nwaonline.net/pdfarchive/2000/December/26/12-26-00%20B2.pdf).
10"Stingley: 'I'm sick'" (http://www.s-t.com/daily/10-96/10-19-96/c01sp093.htm).
11Litke, cited above.
12Jack Tatum with Bill Kushner, Final Confessions of NFL Assassin Jack Tatum, Quality Sports Books Publications excerpts (http://www.qualitysportsbooks.com/Tatum.htm).
13Bill Bender, “The assassin speaks out,” (http://thepost.baker.ohiou.edu/archives3/may01/051101/tab6.html).