Jack Tatum, a 2004 College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Ohio State at safety, died July 27 of a heart attack in an Oakland, Calif., hospital. He was 61.

Nicknamed the “Assassin,” he possessed supreme coverage skills, but he is best remembered as one of the hardest hitters in all of football history. Today when defensive backs are measured for their talents, they’re compared to the Ohio State great.

“We have lost one of our greatest Buckeyes. When you think of Ohio State defense, the first name that comes to mind is Jack Tatum,” said Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel in a statement. “His loss touches every era of Ohio State players and fans.”

A unanimous First Team All-America selection in 1970 and consensus pick in 1969, Tatum earned First Team All-Conference honors three times and was named National Defensive Player of the Year in 1970. A three-year starter for Hall of Fame coach Woody Hayes, Tatum led the Buckeyes to a 27-2 record, two National Championships and at least a share of three Big Ten Conference titles. He played in two Rose Bowls.

Following his OSU career, he was selected in the first round of the 1971 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. Tatum played in the NFL for 10 seasons, nine with Oakland and one with Houston. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and played on the Raiders 1976 Super Bowl Championship team.

Returning to Oakland following his NFL career, Tatum remained extremely active despite battling diabetes and losing his legs. He wrote three books; became a real estate and land developer; took part ownership of O.T.’s Barbecue Sauce in Pittsburg, California; and began a charitable group in Columbus, Ohio that raised $1.4 million to fight children's diabetes. Tatum also spent time working for the NFL’s Uniform Code Enforcement police, which fines players who violate the league’s strict uniform policy.

He was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981, and after each Ohio State game, the coaching staff awards the "Jack Tatum hit of the week" award for the hardest tackle or block by a Buckeye.

He was born November 18, 1948 in Cherryville, N.C. and attended Passaic High School in New Jersey.

NFF