Ex-NFL star Jack Tatum dead at 61

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 27 (UPI) -- Jack Tatum, who earned the nickname "The Assassin" during a stellar college and pro football career, died Tuesday after a heart attack. He was 61.

Tatum, who played safety and linebacker, starred at Ohio State from 1968 to 1970 and for the Oakland Raiders from 1979 to 1989. He completed his NFL career with Houston in 1980.

"We have lost one of our greatest Buckeyes," OSU Coach Jim Tressel said. "When you think of Ohio State defense, the first name that comes to mind is Jack Tatum. His loss touches every era of Ohio State players and fans."

The Buckeyes won a national championship while he was there. Tatum was a two-time All-American and the national defensive player of the year as a senior.

Picked by Oakland in the first round, he helped the Raiders win the Super Bowl in 1976. He was named to the Pro Bowl three times, and finished with 37 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries.

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

After his playing days, Tatum went into the real estate and restaurant businesses.

Tatum played a role in one of the most well-known plays in NFL history, the so-called Immaculate Reception during a 1972 playoff game between Oakland and Pittsburgh. In the waning seconds, Tatum hit John Fuqua as he was catching a pass from Terry Bradshaw, sending the ball into the air where Franco Harris caught it and ran 42 yards for the game-winning score.

The viciousness of his hits was epitomized, however, by his collision with Darryl Stingley of the Patriots during a 1978 pre-season game that left Stingley paralyzed from the chest down for the rest of his life. Stingley died in 2007.

Tatum never apologized, saying it was a clean hit.