Nick Buoniconti, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2001, has died. He was 78.
Buoniconti struggled with dementia for years; Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post reports that he had been admitted to a hospice facility this week.
Star middle linebacker
Born in Springfield, Mass., Buoniconti was a 13th round draft pick out of Notre Dame, by his home-state Boston Patriots in 1962. He was a star middle linebacker with the Patriots, named to five straight AFL All-Star games from 1963-67, and a first-team All-Pro for four straight years, 1964-67.