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Birth
Jack was born in Cherryville, North Carolina. His family moved around often, and eventually settled in Passaic, New Jersey. -
High School Football
He started playing as a sophmore in high school, and prior to that, he had never had much interest in the sport to begin with. (Note: The exact date is unknown and the year could be correct, give or take a year.) -
Jack's First Nomination for All-Big Ten
This award would be the first of many that he received during his college career. (This date is approximated, the year is correct.) -
College Football
Jack is asked by various colleges, and chooses to go to Ohio State to play for the Buckeyes. These 4 years in college would be the deciding factor in his NFL career. (Note: This date is also unknown, but the year is correct.) -
Jack's Second Nomination for All-Big Ten
This is the second of three times that he had received the award. -
Third and Final All-Big Ten Nomination
This is the final award that he receiced for this area. This would not be his last overall, however. -
Draft Day
He was the first round pick of the Oakland Raiders, which is a very big deal. If you were the first round pick for any team, that meant that you had a lot of skill, and you were then one of the most watched players in the league. (Note: the date is also approximated, based on current day data.) -
Jack's First Pro Football Game
During his first game in professional football, he hit John Mackey and Tom Mitchell, 2 Colts Tight Ends, so hard that he literally knocked them out. -
First Season with the Raiders
Not much happened during that season, other than normal things: meeting the other players, coaches, and learning special techniques from the other safeties. -
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Jack plays for the Raiders
This is the team that he is most well known for playing with. (Note: Season start and end dates are based on the current NFL schedule.) -
End of the '72 Season
The Raiders finished the season with a record of 10 wins; 6 of those being at the very end of the season, 3 losses, and 1 tie. -
The Immaculate Reception
The Immaculate Reception (It's all about perspective.)The Immaculate Reception took place during a playoff game between the Steelers and the Raiders. As it was recounted by Jack, Terry Bradshaw threw the pass towards Frency Fuqua, and just before the he caught the ball, Jack hit Frenchy, and the ball flew back about 20 yards. Just before the ball hit the ground, Franco Harris caught the ball and ran it 75 yards for a touchdown. The play is so controversial because Raiders fans will swear that Frenchy hit the ball first, making it illegal. -
Raiders-Patriots Playoff Game
Because they lost to the Patriots in Week 4 of the regular season, the Patriots thought that they had a safe win over the Raiders. The score was 21-17 with less than one minute left on the clock. With the help of their quarterback, Ben Stabler, they marched down the field and scored with mere seconds on the clock for a win. -
Raiders-Steelers Playoff Game
Having won the previous Super Bowl, the Steelers were thought to win the playoff game. But, with Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier being injured, they lost the game with a score of 24-7. -
Super Bowl XI
The score of the game at the end was:
Oakland-32
Minnesota-14 -
Jack Sets the Record for Hardest hit in Super Bowl History
He hit Vikings Wide Receiver Sammy White so hard that he knocked off his helmet, and as someone in the stands, who misunderstood what happened, had said; "Oh, my God! He's lost his head!" Of course, he hadn't, but Sammy couldn't see very well for a few seconds. -
"The Hit"
During a preseason game against the Patriots, Jack made a hit on Darryl Stingley, breaking his fourth and fifth vertebrae, paralyzing him from the waist down. Afterward, Jack had tried to visit Darryl in the hospital, but was turned away by Darryl's family. -
Jack's Last Season as a Raider
In his 8 seasons with the Raiders, he was a Pro Bowler 3 times, All-Pro twice, All-AFC 5 times, the 1973 Football Digest NFL Defensive Back of the Year, and a Super Bowl XI Champion. -
Jack is Traded to the Houston Oilers
The Oilers traded Kenny King and 2 other seventh round draft picks. The significance of this trade shows that he was still a decent player, but because this was his last season, the Oilers were, in essence, cheated out of a trade, mainly because he was so much better in his hay day with the Raiders. -
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Jack plays for the Oilers
The Houston Oilers are now known as the Tennessee Titans. He didn't play here for long, because he was so close to retirement.
(Note: This date is also based on the NFL schedule.) -
The Berlin Wall is Torn Down
When one guard opened a gate through the wall, this marked the official end of the Cold War. Everyone reunited with their families and friends, and the Berlin Wall was soon torn down. -
Roseanne Barr Botches the National Anthem
When given the chance to sing the National Anthem at the Reds-Padres game, she decided to try and make a joke of it, and sang off key and did other things to mess up the song. In essence, she disgraced the nation with her singing. She was even rebuked by the President of the United States. -
9/11 Attack
On September 11, 2001, 4 passenger aircraft were hijacked by members of the terrorist group Al Qaeda. 2 were crashed into the World Trade Center; one flew into the Pentagon, but didn't do much damage; and the other crashed in a field. -
Jack Starts to have Various Health Issues
Because of diabetes, he had to have most of his toes amputated due to a staph infection. His condition only worsened, and he eventually died in 2010 due to a heart attack. -
Jack is Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
He also had an award named after him that an assistant coach made called "The Jack Tatum Hit of the Week Award." This award is given to the player with the best defensive hit that week. -
The IPhone is announced
Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple at the time, announced the IPhone late in the day. -
Super Bowl XLI
The Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears 29 to 17, -
Barry Bonds breaks the home run record*
The reason why this is so speculated is because Mr. Bonds was known to use PEDs (steroids) so he could hit harder and swing faster. Because of the arguments over if it should be counted or not, the compromise was created to let him be in the hall of fame, but put an asterisk () next to his name, indicating that it was not completely counted as a new record, but more of a record that stands to the side and shares a #1 spot with the original record holder, Hank Aaron. -
O.J. Simpson is found guilty
O.J. was found guilty of charges of kidnapping and armed robbery, -
O.J. is senteced
He was given 33 years in prison for his charges of kidnapping and armed robbery. -
Super Bowl XLIV
The New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 31 to 17 to win their first Super Bowl. -
59th Daytona 500
Jamie McMurray was the winner of the Daytona 500 in 2010. He was recorded at a top speed of 137.284 miles per hour. -
Jack Tatum Dies
He died of a heart attack in a hospital in Oakland, California, at the age of 61.
