From: "Steve Copeland" <patssteve1@hotmail.com>
Subject: Rod Shoate
Date: Wed, 06 Oct 1999 06:09:04 EDT
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Former Patriot Rod Shoate, dead at 46 By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff, 10/06/99 Nobody knew Rod Shoate the football player better than Patriots defensive line coach Ray ''Sugar Bear'' Hamilton. Hamilton had played with Shoate for two years at Oklahoma, and from 1975-81 they played together in New England. After that, Hamilton, who also left the Patriots following the '81 season, never heard from Shoate again. Hamilton was saddened by the news that his former teammate had died at his at his home in Spiro, Okla., Monday after an extended and undisclosed illness. He was 46. ''That's a shock,'' said Hamilton. ''He's a guy that I came up with and played with for so long. When you hear that it just hits you very hard. ''We always heard this and that about him. I talked to Tony McGee [a former Patriots defensive end] a lot over the years and we would hear that Rod was homeless and had been seen at a homeless shelter, and that he was having some problems, but I never heard from Rod again. I didn't even know where he lived. ''It's very sad and I was very surprised because I always thought he'd be a guy I'd see in the community after his playing days were over. As it turned out I guess he did spend some time up here, but it seemed he cut all ties to everyone.'' Shoate's body was found at his apartment in Spiro by his sister, Paulette Sims of Oklahoma City. She had last seen him alive on Saturday. Sims told the Associated Press that the family suspected the death was tied in to Shoate's long-time struggle with drug abuse. Spiro police chief Darrell Barham said a medical examiner determined that Shoate died of natural causes. Family members did not hear from Shoate all weekend and became concerned. Shoate's sister then discovered the body in the apartment, where he lived alone. Sims said she didn't know whether her brother had been using drugs at the time of his death or when he started using them. ''He had been getting along good lately,'' Sims said. In a statement, the family wrote that his life was a ''paradox that was puzzling, especially to himself.'' That's the Rod Shoate that Hamilton never knew. Shoate had been working on his family's farm. ''I knew he was sick, but I didn't know how bad he was,'' said former Patriots general manager Pat Sullivan. ''I heard he'd had some tough problems after football and I think it was a classic case of a guy who was a big star at Oklahoma and a good player in the NFL for a while, and then when he had to make it in the real world after football, it was tough for him.'' Sullivan traded Shoate to the Chicago Bears for a fifth-round draft choice in April 1982. ''He wasn't a troublemaker or anything like that. He was one of those guys where you'd shake your head sometimes and be bothered by him, but he had the potential to be a real nice guy,'' said Sullivan. ''He was a guy who got the most of his size. He was undersized for the position and probably played at between 215-220 pounds. He was very quick and really tough.'' Shoate's great speed and strength earned him All-American honors at Oklahoma in 1973 and 1974. His college coaches were Chuck Fairbanks and Barry Switzer, who once called him ''the best linebacker to don a Sooner uniform.'' Fairbanks chose Shoate in the second round of the 1975 draft. He played 76 games with Patriots, starting 65. ''He was hitter, tough. I didn't have too many dealings with him, but he was respectful in our meetings and never gave us a problem,'' said Gino Cappelletti, then the Patriots' special teams coach. Shoate came into his own in 1977 under Fairbanks. He was used mostly as a strong-side linebacker and ranked fourth on the team with six sacks. He remained a force until he showed signs of wear and tear by the 1981 season. After being released by Chicago the following year, he played in the US Football League for New Jersey and Fairbanks in 1983, and in Memphis in 1984. According to wire reports, Switzer was often taken aback by Shoate's speed and said the linebacker could have played several positions. Shoate had 420 career tackles, ranking him third in Oklahoma history, and led the school in tackles from 1972-74. He played on Sooner teams that recorded a 29-4-1 record and won the 1974 national championship. Shoate finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting as a senior in 1974 and was one of four finalists for the Lombardi Award that year. Shoate's family said his first love was farming. He worked with disadvantaged children and enjoyed the company of his nieces and nephews. ''I always thought of him as someone who would be good helping others,'' said Hamilton. ''When I heard he'd had some problems, that surprised me because I always remembered him as a good person.'' Shoate, according to Sims, had returned to the family farm about two years ago after working in Boston for an organization that helped disadvantaged children. Shoate is survived by his parents, Levester and Lula Shoate of the nearby community of Fort Coffee, five sisters, and five brothers. Services are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. tomorrow at Mt. Triumph Baptist Church in Fort Coffee. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
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