Walt Patulski
Encyclopedia
Walter George Patulski is a former American football
defensive end
at the University of Notre Dame
and the National Football League
.
in Syracuse, New York
, where he was a three-year letterman in football, basketball, and track and field. In his senior season in 1967, the 6-foot-5 fullback scored 140 points and led the Brothers to a 7-1 record. He was All-City in football and basketball. A High School All-American, he received over 60 scholarship offers to play football.
In 1991, Patulski was voted to the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame for his activities as a high school athlete.
, Patulski was converted into a defensive end. He was an All-America
n in 1971, and he won the 1971 Lombardi Award
, which is given to college football
's best lineman. A Fighting Irish captain, he finished ninth in that year’s Heisman Trophy
balloting. Selected the Nation's Lineman of the Year
by UPI and Gridiron Magazine in 1971. Patulski was named to Football News sophomore All-America squad in 1969 and was an honorable mention All-American in 1970.
Started every game in his collegiate career, and totaled 186 tackles, 40 for losses; broke up 10 passes; recovered five fumbles and returned one blocked punt 12 yards. In his final football season at Notre Dame, 1971, he was the team defensive MVP. Patulski made 74 tackles, 22 more than his total for the 1970 season. Seventeen of those stops resulted losses for the opposing team. Patulski also broke up six passes, recovered one fumble. The 1969-1971 Irish rushing defenses and total defenses were ranked in the nation's top six all three years and its scoring defense was in the top ten in 1970 and 1971 and complied a record of 25-4-1 over those three seasons while Patulski was a starter.
He was awarded the game ball for his performance in the Irish initial 1971 contest against Northwestern
and was acclaimed as national lineman of the week following the North Carolina game. His play versus Michigan State prompted the head coach Duffy Dougherty to hail him as Notre Dame's "finest defender".
Patulski was later named to Notre Dame's All-Century team. He played in the 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic and the Hula Bowl
. In the Hula Bowl he won the Defensive Lineman of the Game award. In the summer of 1972, Patulski played in the College All-Star game, in Chicago, IL.
Patulski was lauded by one team as "(T)he best we've seen for many years." All but unstoppable on the pass rush, he dazzled the experts with his "amazing agility and lateral mobility."
with the first overall pick of the 1972 NFL Draft
. He was the last Notre Dame player to be drafted #1 overall. His size and speed were among the reasons he was highly touted: At 6'6" and 250 pounds, he could run the 40
in 4.9 seconds.
As a rookie, led the Bills in sacks with 5. In 1973 the Bills improved to a 9-5 record after going 4-9-1 in his rookie season of 1972. Patulski recorded 7 sacks, which was second on the team and was voted AP NFL Defensive Player of the Week November 28, 1973, after week eleven. In 1974, the Bills recorded another 9-5 record and made the playoffs for the first time in eight years as Patulski recorded 5-1/2 sacks. The Bills were 8-6 his third season, but did not advance to the AFC playoffs. He recorded only 4 sacks, a career low, however, 2 came in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals offensive line, who gave up only 8 sacks in 1975. Patulski lined up against St. Louis all-pro and Pro Football Hall of Fame
offensive tackle Dan Dierdorf
, and had a spectacular game. Patulski harassed Hart all day and was one of the reasons the Cards were held to just 54 yards on the ground. He played 4 years (1972–75) with the Bills, and then he was traded to the Cardinals for a second-round draft pick. And played one year with the St. Louis Cardinals (1976). He suffered career-ending knee injury in 1976.
However, Patulski's career was considered unsuccessful. In fact, ESPN ranked him as the 27th biggest draft bust of all-time on April 18, 2008.
Appointed later elected, Commissioner of Education, Syracuse School District, 1980.
Patulski has two daughters, Wallis and Emily. Wallis is a graduate of George Washington University
. Emily graduated from Boston University
where she majored in psychology.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
and the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
High school
Patulski was a star athlete at Christian Brothers AcademyChristian Brothers Academy (Syracuse, New York)
Christian Brothers Academy is a private, Catholic college preparatory school in suburban Syracuse, New York run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, founded by St. John Baptist de La Salle. Located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, the school has roughly 750 students in grades...
in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, where he was a three-year letterman in football, basketball, and track and field. In his senior season in 1967, the 6-foot-5 fullback scored 140 points and led the Brothers to a 7-1 record. He was All-City in football and basketball. A High School All-American, he received over 60 scholarship offers to play football.
In 1991, Patulski was voted to the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame for his activities as a high school athlete.
College career
At the University of Notre DameUniversity of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, Patulski was converted into a defensive end. He was an All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n in 1971, and he won the 1971 Lombardi Award
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
, which is given to college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
's best lineman. A Fighting Irish captain, he finished ninth in that year’s Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
balloting. Selected the Nation's Lineman of the Year
UPI Lineman of the Year (College)
The United Press International college football lineman of the year award was among the first and most recognized college football awards. With the demise of UPI in 1997 the award was discontinued. Offensive and defensive linemen were eligible, including offensive ends, with one, Howard Twilley,...
by UPI and Gridiron Magazine in 1971. Patulski was named to Football News sophomore All-America squad in 1969 and was an honorable mention All-American in 1970.
Started every game in his collegiate career, and totaled 186 tackles, 40 for losses; broke up 10 passes; recovered five fumbles and returned one blocked punt 12 yards. In his final football season at Notre Dame, 1971, he was the team defensive MVP. Patulski made 74 tackles, 22 more than his total for the 1970 season. Seventeen of those stops resulted losses for the opposing team. Patulski also broke up six passes, recovered one fumble. The 1969-1971 Irish rushing defenses and total defenses were ranked in the nation's top six all three years and its scoring defense was in the top ten in 1970 and 1971 and complied a record of 25-4-1 over those three seasons while Patulski was a starter.
He was awarded the game ball for his performance in the Irish initial 1971 contest against Northwestern
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and was acclaimed as national lineman of the week following the North Carolina game. His play versus Michigan State prompted the head coach Duffy Dougherty to hail him as Notre Dame's "finest defender".
Patulski was later named to Notre Dame's All-Century team. He played in the 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic and the Hula Bowl
Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl was an independently administered post-season invitational college football game held each year in Hawaii from 1947 to 2008. The game was last played at Aloha Stadium in the Hālawa district of Honolulu, Hawaii. At one point the longest-running sporting event in Hawaii, it had been...
. In the Hula Bowl he won the Defensive Lineman of the Game award. In the summer of 1972, Patulski played in the College All-Star game, in Chicago, IL.
Patulski was lauded by one team as "(T)he best we've seen for many years." All but unstoppable on the pass rush, he dazzled the experts with his "amazing agility and lateral mobility."
1971 Heisman Voting
Pro career
Patulski was drafted by the Buffalo BillsBuffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
with the first overall pick of the 1972 NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
. He was the last Notre Dame player to be drafted #1 overall. His size and speed were among the reasons he was highly touted: At 6'6" and 250 pounds, he could run the 40
40 yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time in the 40 can have a heavy impact on his prospects in college or professional football...
in 4.9 seconds.
As a rookie, led the Bills in sacks with 5. In 1973 the Bills improved to a 9-5 record after going 4-9-1 in his rookie season of 1972. Patulski recorded 7 sacks, which was second on the team and was voted AP NFL Defensive Player of the Week November 28, 1973, after week eleven. In 1974, the Bills recorded another 9-5 record and made the playoffs for the first time in eight years as Patulski recorded 5-1/2 sacks. The Bills were 8-6 his third season, but did not advance to the AFC playoffs. He recorded only 4 sacks, a career low, however, 2 came in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals offensive line, who gave up only 8 sacks in 1975. Patulski lined up against St. Louis all-pro and Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
offensive tackle Dan Dierdorf
Dan Dierdorf
Daniel Lee "Dan" Dierdorf is a former American football player and current television sportscaster. He played 13 NFL seasons and has worked for ABC's Monday Night Football and CBS as a color commentator since retiring from football....
, and had a spectacular game. Patulski harassed Hart all day and was one of the reasons the Cards were held to just 54 yards on the ground. He played 4 years (1972–75) with the Bills, and then he was traded to the Cardinals for a second-round draft pick. And played one year with the St. Louis Cardinals (1976). He suffered career-ending knee injury in 1976.
However, Patulski's career was considered unsuccessful. In fact, ESPN ranked him as the 27th biggest draft bust of all-time on April 18, 2008.
Personal
Walt is a recipient of the Key to Syracuse (New York) for his distinguished community service. He served for six years as Commissioner of the Syracuse Board of Education, and has also been a board member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He has also recently been guest speaker at the National Football Foundation.Appointed later elected, Commissioner of Education, Syracuse School District, 1980.
Patulski has two daughters, Wallis and Emily. Wallis is a graduate of George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
. Emily graduated from Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
where she majored in psychology.