FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots are deeply saddened to learn that former Patriots punter-quarterback Tom Yewcic passed away at age 88.
Prior to playing for the Boston Patriots as a punter and quarterback, Yewcic helped lead Michigan State to a 1954 Rose Bowl victory over UCLA. He was also a baseball player at Michigan State and was named the College World Series Most Outstanding player in 1954, despite his team not reaching the championship. He was drafted in the 27th round with the 319th pick overall in the 1954 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but opted to play baseball and signed with the Detroit Tigers. Yewcic spent time in the minor leagues before playing one game at catcher for Detroit on June 27, 1957. He signed with the Patriots in 1961 following a half a season with Toronto of the Canadian Football League.
Yewcic was used chiefly as a punter in 1961 and the first half of 1962 before being pressed into service as a starting quarterback when Babe Parilli suffered an injury and sparked the Patriots to three straight wins.
Yewcic punted 377 times for 14,553 yards during his career. In addition to punting and playing quarterback, he was also used as a receiver and running back. In 77 career regular-season games he completed 87 passes for 1,374 yards and 12 touchdowns and had 72 carries for 424 yards and four touchdowns in addition to posting seven receptions for 69 yards.
