I think the combination of diverticulitis and the Millen-Zolak-Hodson-Carlson QB quartet nearly did kill him.I believe that report is in error. I distinctly recall MacPherson dying between 1991 and 1993.
Hey, don't knock Rod Rust, that team started out like a house of fire, winning their first game and grabbing first place in the AFC East.............it was the next 15 games where the shit hit the fan.100000000000000 times better than Rod Rust. That 6-10 team gave me hope that the future was bright. Took some time, but boy, the payoff was there. RIP Richard
I was excited about the MacPherson and Hugh Millen, Leonard Russell, Irving Fryar combination for much of the 1991 season. The team finished 6-10 that season which was a huge improvement from the previous season's 1-15 record. They won 3 of their last 5 and I really thought they were setting themselves up nicely for the 1992 but instead they were not good that year and ended up going 2-14 which led to the coach being shown the door.I remember being jacked and pumped for the Dick MacPherson Era. For about three weeks. RIP, Coach.
He was a terrific guy saddled with a bad roster in a terrible organization. RIP.In the warehouse of bad Patriots coaches, he was my favorite. He seemed to have a positive attitude and players liked to play for him.
Ha ha that's great. I've been a fan since '78 but have no recollection of this duck. (I only ever went to 1 or 2 games per season max, and had to listen to many TV blackouts on the radio.)Back then there was no Pat the Patriot. We had a guy in a duck suit wearing a revolutionary war outfit. The duck made no sense.
Ha ha that's great. I've been a fan since '78 but have no recollection of this duck. (I only ever went to 1 or 2 games per season max, and had to listen to many TV blackouts on the radio.)
That NFL films link is all kinds of awesome. I remember wanting the Patriots to have a "good" NFL films feature about them. They were always heavily featured in the blooper reel, and had their annual recap film like the one linked where somehow NFL films would make you feel like a 6-10 team was on the brink of a deep playoff run. But they never had one that made me feel like I was rooting for an actual NFL team.Defining MacPherson-era memory for me:
We had Mighty Hugh Millen at QB in 1991. It was mid-season, and the Pats were 3-5; the previous week they'd beaten the Vikings in OT and they were officially feisty.
The next week the Pats were playing the Broncos at Foxboro, and that was a Broncos team the Pats had no business beating--Elway in his prime on offense and Steve Atwater leading a good Denver defense.
Broncos were up 9-6 late in the fourth, and Millen -- against all odds -- leads a pretty good two-minute drive, with MacPherson jumping around the sidelines like a 12 year old boy. The Pats were at the Denver 15 with no timeouts left and less than a minute left.
MacPherson tells Millen to take a shot at the end zone for the win. If there is nothing there he is to throw it out of bounds and the Pats will kick for the tie.
Millen takes the snap, drops back, loses his fucking mind, and starts running toward a rapidly-closing hole. Millen then realizes he's trapped, but he panics and can't get out of bounds. The guy gets crushed well short of the end zone.
Time runs out. Pats lose.
The wheels came off and they dropped four in a row. As has been pointed out, they did recover with some garbage-time wins and ended the season 6-10, but MacPherson could only do some much with enthusiasm and high fives. In their last home game they only drew 20,000 fans to the stadium.
Back then there was no Pat the Patriot. We had a guy in a duck suit wearing a revolutionary war outfit. The duck made no sense.
Those blacked out home games were almost always shown on the NBC affiliate in White River Junction Vt., which was available for a time on my then cable system. Tthose games were almost literally on only two TV stations in the country....the road team city's primary affiliate, and the Vt station. (occasionally, but not usually, the Maine NBC affiliate would show the Patriots un-soldout home games). As a result, the announcers were the bottom of the bottom of the NBC barrel.Ha ha that's great. I've been a fan since '78 but have no recollection of this duck. (I only ever went to 1 or 2 games per season max, and had to listen to many TV blackouts on the radio.)
Living in western Mass, we would still get the Pats home games. I forget if they allowed WWLP to show the games, or if we had to use WVIT in Hartford, but they were on. One of the regulars at my dad's bar would show up with his brother (who lived in the Boston area) for Pats games that season because the games weren't on at the brother's house. It's like an alternate universe when you think back on those days.Tthose games were almost literally on only two TV stations in the country....the road team city's primary affiliate, and the Vt station. (occasionally, but not usually, the Maine NBC affiliate would show the Patriots un-soldout home games). As a result, the announcers were the bottom of the bottom of the NBC barrel.
Of course...I completely spaced on W. Mass. Didn't realize Hartford would show Patriots. They seemed to be more Jets oriented when I was a kid.Living in western Mass, we would still get the Pats home games. I forget if they allowed WWLP to show the games, or if we had to use WVIT in Hartford, but they were on. One of the regulars at my dad's bar would show up with his brother (who lived in the Boston area) for Pats games that season because the games weren't on at the brother's house. It's like an alternate universe when you think back on those days.
I went to college in Maine in the early 90s, my first three years were Rod Rust, and Coach Mac X2 (Parcells was senior year) so they were pretty terrible and never sold out home games those years. I seem to remember us getting most of the Pats home games in those days, but maybe not all. The Pats were literally a joke. We would sit around the dorm watching the games and laugh our asses off at how bad they were, or how they would manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory over and over again. I remember one game where the Pats were punting out of their own endzone and one of the blockers got pushed all the way back in front of the punter (I want to say Tom Tupa maybe) who punted the ball directly into the guy's ass. It was incredible, we laughed so hard.Those blacked out home games were almost always shown on the NBC affiliate in White River Junction Vt., which was available for a time on my then cable system. Tthose games were almost literally on only two TV stations in the country....the road team city's primary affiliate, and the Vt station. (occasionally, but not usually, the Maine NBC affiliate would show the Patriots un-soldout home games). As a result, the announcers were the bottom of the bottom of the NBC barrel.
Great post. I wish the papers, .coms today could describe à la the bolded.Defining MacPherson-era memory for me:
We had Mighty Hugh Millen at QB in 1991. It was mid-season, and the Pats were 3-5; the previous week they'd beaten the Vikings in OT and they were officially feisty.
MacPherson tells Millen to take a shot at the end zone for the win. If there is nothing there he is to throw it out of bounds and the Pats will kick for the tie.
Millen takes the snap, drops back, loses his fucking mind, and starts running toward a rapidly-closing hole. Millen then realizes he's trapped, but he panics and can't get out of bounds. The guy gets crushed well short of the end zone.
Time runs out. Pats lose.