Bradley Roby is our most highly-touted player going into the draft this year. Although last season's defense had problems, Roby was one of the bright spots. He blocked a punt in the end zone against Northwestern, scoring a touchdown, and another one against Indiana. He had three interceptions; one of which was returned for a 63 yard touchdown:
Roby is a pretty amazing player and will likely be drafted in the first round. Although the game is different than it was 45 years ago, I can't think of Bradley Roby without thinking of Jack Tatum, the most feared player Ohio State has ever produced. Roby and Tatum both played cornerback for us, and Roby is 5'11/192 (a little undersized by today's standards) while Tatum was 6'0/205.
Tatum was from Passaic, NJ and was recruited as a running back. Back in the '60s, a lot of guys would still play offense and defense, but by his junior year, 1969, Tatum was only being used on defense because of the power of his hits. Sports Illustrated did a great article in 1969 before the Michigan game about how the best game to watch in the post season would have been OSU's offense vs. OSU's defense. According to Woody Hayes, this was the best team he ever coached. By 1970, Tatum's senior year, he had played in two Rose Bowls and won two National Championships. He was an All-American in 1969 and '70. Tatum was part of the best years of Buckeye football, and part of the genesis of the Ten Year War against Michigan.
In 1971, Jack Tatum was drafted in the first round by the Oakland Raiders and moved from cornerback to free safety. He was outstanding in the NFL and the power of his tackles earned him the fear of receivers and running backs all over the league. With Ken Stabler at quarterback and their new coach John Madden (ever heard of him?), Tatum played for arguably the best team in the NFL and was an important part of what made them so good. The Raiders were division champions every year from 1972-1976 and won Superbowl XI in 1977. Tatum was the defender who smashed into Steelers receiver John Fuqua, contributing to 1972's Immaculate Reception. Tatum faced a lot of criticism for his hard hits, one of which paralyzed another player for life, but always maintained that he played fairly. He was in the Pro Bowl in '73, '74 and '75.
In 1980, Jack Tatum released a book, They Call Me Assassin, which details his youth in North Carolina and New Jersey, and his high school, college and professional playing days. The most interesting part is his description of the transition from college to NFL play, where he had to work harder and improve his wits considerably just to be able to compete. He discusses his method of hitting hard, basically aiming for a spot behind an opponent and channeling all of his body weight to go "through" the other player. He used to use a method called the "hook," which is now illegal; it involved bracing the arm to hit an opponent's head to take them out. Tatum would have contests with other players for the most hits that caused stoppages of play. It is an interesting read from a different time in football. The aggressive style used by Tatum and others in the 1970s and '80s are the roots of the safety concerns in football today.
All things considered, Tatum was a great asset to any team he played on including our beloved Ohio State Buckeyes. He died in 2010 at the age of 61. The NFL ranked him as one of the most feared players of all time:
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