Houston Antwine

Houston J. "Twine" Antwine (April 11, 1939 – December 26, 2011) was an American football defensive tackle who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons.

Early life

Antwine was born on April 11, 1939, in Louise, Mississippi.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1" /> He attended Manassas High School in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was named an All-Memphis guard in 1956 and 1957.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":5">Template:Cite news</ref>

College football

He played college football as a two-way lineman and wrestled for the Southern Illinois University Salukis. He was named a Little All-American for football, and finished as second in the NAIA heavyweight division in wrestling. In 1958, he was selected an All-American by the Williamson National Football Rating System as a defensive tackle. Antwine was selected by his football teammates as team MVP in 1960. That season, the Salukis won the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (then the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference).<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":4" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He earned All-Conference honors two consecutive years.<ref name=":5" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

He played in the 1961 Chicago All-Star Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.<ref name=":5" /> Antwine was the only player to be named to both the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference offensive and defensive teams.<ref name=":5" /> He was inducted into the Southern Illinois University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref>

Pro career

He was selected by the AFL's Houston Oilers in the 1961 AFL draft, but he was traded to the Boston Patriots<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> for a fourth-round 1962 AFL draft pick.<ref name=":3" /> The Detroit Lions also drafted him in the third round of the 1961 NFL draft.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The vaunted Lions defense already had Pro Bowlers Roger Brown and Alex Karras in place at this position, which prompted Antwine to choose the Patriots. He played all 28 games (two starts) in his first two seasons.<ref name=":1" />

He earned his first of six straight All-Star selections in 1963,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1" /> a season in which Antwine was also named first team All-AFL by the AFL, the Associated Press (AP), United Press International (UPI), and the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA).<ref name=":1" /> The Patriots tied for the best record in the East Division at 7–6–1. The Patriots won the Divisional Playoff game versus Buffalo before losing to the San Diego Chargers in the AFL Championship Game.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was the only playoff experience for Antwine.

Nicknamed "Twine"<ref name=FR68>John Duxbury and Larry Shainman (eds.), Football Register, 1968. St. Louis: The Sporting News, 1968; p. 7.</ref> from his wrestling days,<ref name=":4" /> Antwine was cited by Pro Football Hall of Famer Billy Shaw as one of the American Football League's best pass rushers, athletic and very quick on his feet, usually drawing double-team blocking on a line that also featured perennial All-Stars Bob Dee, Larry Eisenhauer and Jim Lee Hunt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Pro Football Hall of Fame states Antwine became "one of the most dominant defensive players in league history especially noted as devastating against the run."<ref name=":2" /> Teammate Gino Cappelletti described Antwine with quickness akin to a cat, who could rush with his speed and technique.<ref name=":4" /> He returned his only interception as a player (for two yards) in a 28–20 win over the Denver Broncos on December 12, 1965.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Antwine was the AFL Defensive Player of the Week as he sacked Dan Darragh three times in the Patriots' 16–7 win over the Buffalo Bills at War Memorial Stadium on September 8, 1968.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He had a career high in sacks that year with 7.5.<ref name=":1" /> He posted a career high ten tackles in the Patriots' 33–14 win over the Cincinnati Bengals at Fenway Park on December 1, 1968.Template:Citation needed He was traded in 1972 to the Philadelphia Eagles for Bill Hobbs and started nine games in his final season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Statistics for sacks were not officially counted in his day, but Antwine is recognized as having 38 sacks in his 142 games with the Patriots (36) and Eagles (2),<ref name=":1" /> though other sources (including the Patriots team sources) report him having 39 sacks just with the Patriots.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> He led the team in three straight seasons (1967–1969).<ref name=":0" />

Antwine was one of over twenty African American players who boycotted the 1965 AFL All-Star game in New Orleans because of unequal racial treatment throughout the city leading up to the game, later joined by some white players. As a result, the game was moved to Houston. New Orleans later had to demonstrate to the NFL changes were made in the city, so it could obtain an NFL franchise.<ref name=":4" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Honors

He was named to the American Football League All-Time Team in 1970 as a first-team defensive tackle alongside Tom Sestak (with future Hall of Famer Buck Buchanan named a second-team tackle).<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> In addition to being a six-time AFL All-Star, he was named All-AFL six times, including first team selections by the AFL (1963, 1966), AP (1963), UPI (1963, 1966), NEA (1963, 1966, 1968) and The Sporting News (1968-1969); and second team selections by the AP (1966-1969), UPI (1964, 1967-1968), and The Sporting News (1967).<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" />

After years as a finalist, Antwine was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was also a member of the Patriots' 50th anniversary all time team.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" />

Personal life

Antwine died of heart failure in Memphis, Tennessee on December 26, 2011, less than a day before his wife Evelyn died of lung cancer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0" />

See also

• List of American Football League players

External links

• New England Patriots bio