The number 33 has long occupied a special place in Boston sports
lore. It is most associated with Larry Bird, who wore it on his
jersey for 13 seasons on the Celtics. For a limited time,
McDonald’s even made the “Big 33” hamburger in Bird’s honor,
complete with bacon and barbecue sauce.
Another less heralded local sports legend also wore 33 for 13
seasons. On Tuesday, New England Patriots running back Kevin Faulk
announced his retirement from football. Even the normally reserved
and laconic coach Bill Belichick was moved.
“This is the first Patriots team, as head coach, that I’ve had
without Kevin,” Belichick said. “He was the ultimate team player.
What a pleasure to coach. He always put the team first.”
Faulk had been a standout running back at Louisiana State
University. He rushed for 4,557 yards and 46 touchdowns during his
LSU career, breaking the SEC record set by Georgia’s Herschel
Walker with 6,833 all-purpose yards. He’s still second only to Tim
Tebow.
But when the Patriots drafted Faulk in the second round of the
1999 NFL draft, many people paid more attention to the things he
didn’t do well. He wasn’t good at blitz pickup. He struggled with
ball security, fumbling nine times and losing six over his first
two seasons.
Instead of becoming the featured back, Faulk was used as more of
a role player. He had over 100 carries only twice in his whole
professional career. He found himself playing behind Terry Allen,
Corey Dillon, and many others.
A lot of people might have given up, or at least found a new
team. He had been drafted by Pete Carroll and Bobby Grier. There
was no guarantee he would ever survive the Belichick era. The new
head coach had no investment in him.
The hard-working, soft-spoken Faulk turned it around. The
running back who once coughed up the football became known for his
reliability. He hadn’t lost a single fumble since 2006. The 5’8
rookie who struggled picking up the blitz emerged as the team’s
best pass protecting back. As late as 2010, he was routinely
trucking players who were five inches taller and ten years
younger.
Faulk excelled at catching passes out of the backfield. He
retired with more receiving yards than rushing, with only one fewer
passing touchdown than rushing score. He had sure hands and was
elusive. Even in his valedictory season with the Patriots last
year, when he played just seven games and was used sparingly, he
led the team in ratio of catches to targets.
Then factor in special teams, where Faulk still pitched in at
35. He was the team’s all-time leader in kickoff return yards at
4,098, topping his fifth-ranked rushing yards. He retired the
franchise leader in all-purpose yards at 12,349.
Nor do the stats tell the whole story. Faulk was often called
upon to execute the “must have” plays. The five-yard run on 3rd and
4. The 12-yard reception on 3rd and 11. The clock-killing run to
ice the game. The two-point conversion in the Super Bowl.
Well into his 30s, he was arguably the best third-down back in
the league.
There were times when he could have left to make more money. He
could have gotten frustrated when younger athletes eclipsed his
playing time. Instead he took pride in staying with one team his
entire professional career and he unselfishly embraced his role as
an extra coach in the locker room.
When future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady went down with a
season-ending injury in 2008 (in a game where Brady had been
without Faulk’s pass protection), the veteran leader stepped up his
game. He helped take charge of the offense. At 31 he increased his
rushing yards to 507 on the season, amassing 6.1 yards per carry,
while catching 58 passes for 486 yards.
When the Patriots were embarrassed at home in a stunning playoff
loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Faulk and rookie wide receiver Julian
Edelman — the latter filling in for an injured Wes Welker — were
practically the only team members to show up. Faulk led the team in
rushing and tied for the lead in receptions. Early in the game, he
accounted for all of the team’s net offense.
The next season, Faulk himself was felled by a season-ending
injury. (Like Brady, he tore his ACL and MCL.) He was one of the
first players in the running backs’ meeting the next day. As a
captain of the team, he stood on the sidelines when they were at
home and traveled with his teammates to select away games.
Many people thought he was done, but Faulk returned the
following season. In his first game back, he caught all five passes
thrown to him, led the team in rushing, picked up the blitz on the
Patriots’ first touchdown, and had a key 18-yard reception to set
up their final score in a losing effort against the Pittsburgh
Steelers.
Faulk wanted to return for a 14th season, but the Patriots moved
in a different direction. He continued to train in case the new
running game didn’t come together or a player was injured. Instead
the new backs excelled — with Faulk’s help. Even though he was no
longer under contract, Faulk met with lead back Stevan Ridley, a
fellow LSU alum, on Wednesdays to review game tape.
When Twitter followers told Faulk that the team needed him back
because the younger rushers weren’t good at blitz pickup, Faulk
defended the very players who were replacing him.
Clutch. Unselfish. Underrated.
But not unappreciated, at least not in New England, or
unappreciative. In his emotional farewell press conference, Faulk
thanked the fans, the dining staff who served players lunch, the
massage therapists. He thanked his wife, who has been his
sweetheart since the seventh grade. He thanked “Miss Myra,” the
team owner’s late wife, for “how much she loved the kids, and how
she’d help out no matter what, what anyone needed.”
Larry Bird’s number 33 was retired in 1993, shortly after he
left the Boston Celtics. Numbers are harder to retire in
football.
No matter who the Patriots assign it to next, number 33 will
always belong to Kevin Faulk.
