Nick Buoniconti
Football · Hometown: Springfield, MA
- High school
- Springfield Cathedral High School
- College
- University of Notre Dame
- Pro team(s)
- Boston Patriots, Miami Dolphins
- Hall of Fame
- ⭐ Pro Football Hall of Fame
Nick Buoniconti was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, and graduated from Cathedral High School before playing linebacker at the University of Notre Dame. Deemed too small by NFL scouts at 5'11" and 220 pounds, he was bypassed by most teams before the Boston Patriots took him in the AFL Draft. He spent seven seasons with the Patriots before joining the Miami Dolphins in 1969, where he became the defensive engine of one of the greatest teams in football history. Buoniconti's Dolphins went 17-0 in 1972 — the only perfect season in NFL history — and won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1972 and 1973. A cerebral, instinctive linebacker who called defensive signals, he was selected to eight AFL/NFL All-Star games. Buoniconti was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.