71 Raymond Hamilton LB
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 245
Year: 10
Yrs/Pat: 10
Acquired: D-14, 1973`
School: Oklahoma
Major: Marketing
Born: Jan 20, 1951
Omaha
Nebraska
|
|
A fixture at the Patriots nose tackle position since 1974, "Sugar Bear" has started 117 of this 118 games as a Patriot... his 110 consecutive game starting streak came to a halt on 11-2 when Ray missed the NY Jets contest while nursing a left knee injury suffered the week before at Buffalo... finishing as the fifth best tackler on the team with 50 initial hits and 17 assists, he was the top tackler among Patriot defensive linemen for the fourth straight year... he also finished second in sacks behind Julius Adams and Tony MCGee, recording eight sacks for 71 yards in losses... in the Patriot's season opening 34-17 win over Cleveland, Ray registered three tackles, one sack and one QB pressure while causing and recovering one fumble... the following week against Atlanta, he recorded eight initial hits and two assists... after making the squad as a 14th round pick, he earned starting honors at the left DE spot, starting all 14 games there as a rookie... in the following season (1974), the Patriots switched to the 3-4 alignment and Ray was shifted to NT, a spot where he has started 101 of 102 games... Defensive Coordinator Fritz Shurmur says, "Ray is an exceptional technique player and is the best I've seen at executing the mechanics of the nose tackle position"... his 68 1/2 tackles in '79 was the third best mark on the entire squad and he added 11 QB pressures, 6 QB sacks, and one pass deflection to the Patriot's defensive effort... his most productive game of 1979 was against Miami (11-29) when he made seven tackles and accounted for one sack and one QB pressure... in 1978, he was the club's second leading tackler with 85 1/2 tackles while also adding five sacks, 14 QB pressures and three fumble recoveries... he tied a club record by scoring a TD on a 23 yard fumble return (at St Louis, 11-2-75) and was voted "Unsung Hero" by the 1776 Fan Club for his productivity during the 1975 season... Ray's great reach and quickness allow him to create havoc with opposing centers and clog up the middle rushing lanes.
Games Played/Started: 1973-14/14, 1974-14/14, 1975-14/14, 1976-14/14, 1977-14/14, 1978-16/16. 1979-16/16. 1980-15/15, Total: 117/117
Stats: Fumble Recoveries: 1973-2, 1974-2, 1975-one for 23 yds (TD) at St. Louis (11-2), 1976-2, 1977-2, 1978-3, 1980-1; Total: 14 (second most in club history).
From 1981 Patriots Media Guide
A two time all-Big 8 selection, Ray played five different positions for the Sooners before settling down at the defensive tackle spot.
Holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from OU (1973) and a master's degree in Public Administration from Boston's Suffolk University (1977). Was a dean's list student at both schools.
|
|
|
