Post by TheShadow on Feb 3, 2006 21:40:16 GMT -5
www.raiders.com
During the 2001 offseason, we caught up with legendary Raiders safety Jack
Tatum. On Wednesday, February 4, 2004, we contacted Jack and revisited our
"Whatever Happened to..." piece. Tatum was selected in the first round of
the 1971 NFL Draft out of Ohio State and played nine seasons for the Silver
and Black (1971-1979) and is widely regarded as one of the hardest hitters
and toughest players in NFL history.
Q: Who were some of your favorite teammates?
Jack Tatum: I think it's pretty hard to say because most of the guys,
actually, all of the guys on that team were pretty close. That's one of the
things that I really liked about that team. And, still today a lot of those
guys on that team are my best friends. So, it's kind of hard to pick out the
best teammates because I just thought all the guys on that team were pretty
close.
Q: Do you still keep in touch with any of your teammates?
Jack Tatum: Yes, I still keep in touch with most of the guys, especially the
guys that live around the Bay Area.
Q: Are there any former teammates of yours, including yourself that you feel
should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Jack Tatum: There are quite a few of those guys as well. Kenny Stabler,
Cliff Branch, Dave Casper, Ray Chester. I could go down the line and name
quite a few guys that I feel should have been but if they did that there
would be so many Raiders in there there would be no room for anyone else.
Q: What were your thoughts after being drafted?
Jack Tatum: When I got drafted by the Raiders I wasn’t to sure where Oakland
was, I wasn’t a big Oakland fan right at the time. I was from the east coast
and was born an east coast football fan, but once I got out here and figured
out what was happening and what the town was about I loved this city.
Q: What was the most memorable game for you when you played for the Raiders?
Jack Tatum: The most memorable game was the ‘77 Super Bowl. That has got to
be it for anybody because that is what everybody is trying to play for, a
chance win a Super Bowl.
Q: Is there one play that you can remember from your career?
Jack Tatum: Not really we had so many great plays and so many big games that
it’s just all put together and thought of as great plays. You don’t really
put a season to them.
Q: Which team did you like playing against the most?
Jack Tatum: The team was the Steelers, one of those teams that you love to
hate. I could have played them 16 times a year.
Q: Can you describe what it was like to play in and win the Super Bowl?
Jack Tatum: Well, that is a great feeling because everybody plays the game
just for the opportunity to get to the Super Bowl. To play and win probably
puts you on top of the world because you can finally say that you are
officially the best in the world.
Q: What was your favorite stadium or city to play in, other than home?
Jack Tatum: First of all I think we had the best fans in the league, Raiders
always had great fans and they are the most knowledgeable fans in the
league. But if I had to pick somewhere else besides Oakland it would be
tough at other stadiums. People love to hate the Raiders but Pittsburgh,
Kansas City, Denver, any of those stadiums were great to play in because the
people hated you so much.
Q: Can you describe what it was like to play for Al Davis?
Jack Tatum: I liked playing for Al Davis because Al is a football man. He is
one of the few owners that actually knows football. I think Al and I were
pretty much on the same page…we were out there to win! Like I said Al is a
football man and on a personal level Al is a good friend. I really like Al.
Q: Can you compare today’s game to your playing experience?
Jack Tatum: I think the main difference right now is the salary cap because
I played with most of my teammates on the Raiders for seven to eight years.
Now-a-days, if you get to play two years with a guy it's a big deal. I think
the salary cap has taken away a lot of the closeness…and I think its hurt
the game and I think the fans really don't get a chance to know guys.
Q: What are your impressions of Raider fans both past and present?
Jack Tatum: I think the Raiders have the best fans in the league. It’s funny
because everyime you hear people talking about Raiders fans on TV they show
the fans with their faces painted and people think that every Raider fan is
like that. But they don’t show the 98 percent of the fans that are just like
fans everywhere else and are just die hard Raider fans.
Q: Can you describe what is was like to play for Coach Madden?
Jack Tatum: Well playing for John Madden was great. He was a great Coach and
a great people person. I think that his biggest asset was that he had all
those different personalities but somehow he could get them all working
together and it was just a lot of fun because we did have so many great
characters on the team.
Q: What do you currently do?
Jack Tatum: Right now I'm in a recuperation process. I had a serious bout
with diabetes, so right now I'm in a recuperation process.