Thomas Joseph Sestak (March 9, 1936 – April 3, 1987) was an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
defensive lineman
In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...
who played for the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
of the
American Football League
The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...
(AFL).
Early life
Sestak was born in
Gonzales, Texas
Gonzales is a city in Gonzales County, Texas, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 7,165 at the 2020 census. The "Come and Take It" flag in the War for Texas Independence from Mexico originated in Gonzales.
Its economy is enh ...
. He had mixed European heritage, with his grandparents on his father's side being from Czechoslovakia while his grandparents on his mother's side being from Poland. Alongside his two brothers, he played in numerous sports as a child, such as football and track. He played tight end in the collegiate ranks at
McNeese State University
McNeese State University is a public university in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Founded in 1939 as Lake Charles Junior College, it was renamed McNeese Junior College after John McNeese, an early local educator. The present name was adopted in 1970. ...
in
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu ...
.
Career
His talents led to him being drafted in the 17th round by the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
in 1962. He was also drafted by the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
in the sixteenth round that year. He was an example of a trend of the young league to draft players from small colleges, which was deemed innovative in part due to its results that it cultivated, which Sestak represented well. He was to play defensive lineman for the Bills, owing to his 6-4 size, speed, and strength.
Sestak was a starter in his rookie year and, until a series of knee injuries ended his career after the 1967 season, used his strength to dominate the line of scrimmage. Sestak was a three-time selection to
All-American Football League teams and a unanimous All-AFL defensive tackle in three consecutive years; 1963, 1964 and 1965. Sestak served as the cornerstone of a defense that took the Bills to the playoffs four straight years (1963–1966) and consecutive AFL championships in 1964 and 1965. Over the 1964 and 1965 seasons, Sestak and his defense mates held opposing rushers without a touchdown for seventeen consecutive games, a
Professional Football
In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...
record that still stands. Twice during his outstanding career he realized the defensive lineman's "dream", returning interceptions for touchdowns, and once returned a recovered fumble for a score.
His teammates described his play as ''"crazy as hell"''. He notably played a season with three broken ribs, and his knees problems meant that he spent time at a stationary bicycle instead of scrimmage during practice.
During the 1960s, only six professional defensive linemen were unanimous All-League selections for three or more years, Sestak (3), Bob Lily (5), Merlin Olsen (4), Willie Davis (3), Gino Marchetti (3), and Deacon Jones (3). The latter five, all former NFL players, have already been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while Sestak, a star from the AFL, like many other AFL players has been ignored by the Hall of Fame selectors. He was named to the First Team for his position at defensive tackle, along with
Houston Antwine
Houston J. Antwine (April 11, 1939 – December 26, 2011) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South ...
. In contrast,
Buck Buchanan (a Second Team selection) is a Hall of Famer while Sestak is not.
In January 1970, Sestak was selected as a member of the
All-Time All-AFL Team, and in 2009 as a member of the Bills' 50th Anniversary Team. In 2007, Tom Sestak was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame. In 2011, the
Professional Football Researchers Association
The Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA) is an organization of researchers whose mission is to preserve and, in some cases, reconstruct professional football history. It was founded on June 22, 1979 in Canton, Ohio by writer/hist ...
named Sestak to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2011 In 2019, despite not being in the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...
, he was chosen as a finalist for the NFL's
100th Anniversary Team
Sestak died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
in 1987.
See also
*
List of American Football League players
The following is a list of men who played for the American Football League (AFL, 1960–1969).
Players
A
B
C
D
Elbert Dubenion
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
Z
Notes
Player notes
1,398 ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sestak, Tom
1936 births
1987 deaths
American football defensive linemen
Baylor Bears football players
Buffalo Bills players
McNeese State Cowboys football players
American Football League All-Star players
American Football League All-Time Team
People from Gonzales, Texas
Gonzales High School (Texas) alumni
Players of American football from Texas
American people of Polish descent
American Football League players