Tom Addison
| No. 53 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth: | April 12, 1936 | ||
| Place of birth: | Lancaster, South Carolina | ||
| Date of death: | June 14, 2011 (aged 75) | ||
| Place of death: | Bluffton, South Carolina | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| College: | South Carolina | ||
| NFL Draft: | 1958 / Round: 12 / Pick: 141 | ||
| Career history | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
| Career NFL statistics | |||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||
| Player stats at NFL.com |
Thomas Marion Addison (April 12, 1936 – June 14, 2011) was a professional American football linebacker (1960–1967) and sports labor leader, and is a member of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.
Addison attended the University of South Carolina and was drafted by the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League (NFL) and the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League (CFL), but chose to sign in 1960 with the Boston Patriots of the newly formed American Football League (NFL), playing his entire pro career with the Patriots.
Considered a leader of the newly formed team, Addison was selected as team captain, and was named to the AFL All-Star team for four straight years(1961–1964), as well as being one of the first players ever selected to be a Patriot All-League player (in 1960). He was also a Sporting News' All-League player in 1963 and 1964, and an AFL Eastern Division All-Star in 1961 and 1962. With 16 career interceptions (returning one for a touchdown), he was considered by many to be the best AFL linebacker against the run in the mid 1960s.
Addison played in every Patriots' game from 1961 to 1966 (84 games), and was adding to this total when he sustained what proved to be a career-ending knee injury. On June 18, 1968, he was released by the Patriots after team doctors stated that he would risk further damage by playing after having undergone two knee operations. Addison was selected by a Patriot fan vote in 1971 as a member of the Patriots' All-1960s (AFL) Team.
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