Thomas Marion Addison (April 12, 1936 – June 14, 2011) was a professional

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 wi ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

(1960–1967) and sports labor leader, and is a member of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.

Playing career

Addison attended the University of South Carolina and was drafted by the Baltimore Colts of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) and the Ottawa Rough Riders of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL), but chose to sign in 1960 with the Boston Patriots of the newly formed American Football League (NFL), playing his entire pro career with the Patriots. Considered a leader of the newly formed team, Addison was selected as team captain, and was named to the AFL All-Star team for four straight years(1961–1964), as well as being one of the first players ever selected to be a Patriot All-League player (in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

). He was also a Sporting News' All-League player in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

, and an AFL Eastern Division All-Star in

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

and

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...

. With 16 career interceptions (returning one for a touchdown), he was considered by many to be the best AFL linebacker against the run in the mid 1960s. Addison played in every Patriots' game from 1961 to 1966 (84 games), and was adding to this total when he sustained what proved to be a career-ending knee injury. On June 18, 1968, he was released by the Patriots after team doctors stated that he would risk further damage by playing after having undergone two knee operations. Addison was selected by a Patriot fan vote in 1971 as a member of the Patriots' All-1960s (AFL) Team.

Labor leadership

On January 14, 1964, players in the American Football League formed the AFL Players Association, and Addison was elected the union's first president."Players in A.F.L. Form Own Union." ''New York Times.'' January 16, 1964. In search of protection for the players, Addison put together a request package of benefits that included insurance and a player pension plan. As president, Addison had the intimidating task of meeting with the team owners to communicate the request. Upon entering the meeting room, Addison approached the long oval table, where the stern-faced owners were awaiting. With

Southern charm ''Southern Charm'' is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on March 3, 2014. The series chronicles the personal and professional lives of several socialites who reside in Charleston, South Carolina. The show focuses on t ...

, he looked up at the owners, smiled, and said "Well, I'm not trying to be the next Jimmy Hoffa!" This broke the tension, and started a period of perhaps the most positive relationship between owners and players in team sports history. With a players association in place, players newly drafted by American Football League teams in the "war between the leagues" could be assured that they would have representation and protection in the AFL that was the equal of that in the older league. Addison's work was an important element in the survival of the league, and helped the AFL to be able to compete for top talent, and to establish itself as the future of

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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Addison, Tom 1936 births 2011 deaths People from Lancaster, South Carolina People from Bluffton, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina American football linebackers South Carolina Gamecocks football players Boston Patriots players American Football League players American Football League All-Star players American Football League All-League players American trade union leaders

Playing career

Labor leadership

See also

References