Patriots Announce Former Punter, Quarterback Tom Yewcic Died At Age 88

Former Boston Patriot and member of the 1960s All-Decade Team, Tom Yewcic, has died at age 88, the New England Patriots announced Wednesday night.

“The New England Patriots are deeply saddened to learn that former Patriots punter-quarterback Tom Yewcic passed away at age 88,” the team said in a statement.

Yewcic signed with the Patriots in 1961 following a brief stint with Toronto of the Canadian Football League.

Upon his arrival, Yewcic mostly was used as a punter before he was pressed into the starting quarterback role in 1962 when Babe Parilli suffered an injury. Yewcic sparked the Patriots to three straight wins.

In addition to punting and playing quarterback, he also was used as a receiver and running back.

Yewcic punted 377 times for 14,553 yards during his career. In 77 career regular-season games he completed 87 passes for 1,374 yards and 12 touchdowns while also compiling 72 rushes for 424 yards and four touchdowns. He also posted seven receptions for 69 yards.