Okay, so, I got this idea to make a list of the 1980 Patriots’ players. I mean, who were these guys? I vaguely remember some of them, but a full roster? That was gonna be tough.
First thing I did was hit up the internet. I mean, where else would I go, right? I typed in “1980 New England Patriots roster” into the search bar and bam! A whole bunch of websites popped up. I started clicking around, trying to find one that looked legit. Some of them were kinda sketchy, you know? But eventually, I found a few that seemed okay.
Next, I grabbed a notebook and pen. Old school, I know, but it helps me stay focused. I started writing down the names from the websites I found. It was a lot of names! I had no idea they had so many players back then. I wrote down their positions, too – quarterback, running back, all that stuff. There are offensive players, defensive players, and special team players.
But here’s where it got tricky. Some of the websites had different names listed. Like, one site would have a guy named Bob, and another site wouldn’t have him at all. Or, they would have different positions for the same players. It was a mess! I had to do some serious cross-referencing, going back and forth between the different websites to see what the deal was.
After a while, I started to see some patterns. It looked like most of the websites agreed on the big-name players, like Steve Grogan, the quarterback. But for the other guys, it was harder to tell. I ended up making a lot of notes in my notebook, like, “This website says he was a linebacker, but this other one says he was a defensive end.”
It took a few hours, but finally, I had a pretty good list. It’s not perfect, I’m sure. There are probably some errors in there, but I did the best I could. And you know what? It was actually kinda fun. It was like being a detective, trying to piece together this puzzle from the past.
Offensive Players
- Quarterbacks:
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Steve Grogan
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Tom Owen
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Matt Cavanaugh
- Running Backs:
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Mosi Tatupu
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Andy Johnson
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Sam Cunningham
-
Vagas Ferguson
-
Don Calhoun
- Wide Receivers:
-
Stanley Morgan
-
Harold Jackson
-
Don Westbrook
-
Preston
Yancy
- Tight Ends:
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Russ Francis
-
Don Hasselbeck
-
Lin Dawson
- Offensive Linemen:
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John Hannah
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Leon Gray
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Bill Lenkaitis
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Sam Adams Sr.
-
Bob Cryder
-
Ron
Halle
-
Tom Neville
-
Russ Bolinger
Defensive Players
- Defensive Linemen:
-
Julius Adams
-
Mel Lunsford
-
Tony
McGee
-
Luther
Bradley
-
Richard Bishop
- Linebackers:
-
Steve Nelson
-
Mike
Hedge
-
Sam Hunt
-
Rod Shoate
-
Bob
Golic
-
Steve
Doig
- Defensive Backs:
-
Mike Haynes
-
Raymond
Clayborn
-
Prentice
McCray
-
Tim Fox
-
Rick
Sanford
-
Doug
Beaudoin
-
Larry
McGrew
-
Brad
Cowan
-
Ricky
Smith
Special Teams
- Kickers:
-
John Smith
- Punters:
-
Tom
Henderson
Now, I’m gonna share my 1980 Patriots roster list with everyone. Maybe some other football fans will find it interesting. Or maybe they can help me make it even better! That’s the cool thing about sharing stuff online, you know? You never know who you’ll connect with and what you’ll learn.
