Nick Buoniconti, the first big, established star in Miami Dolphins franchise history, has died at age 78 after a life so much bigger than football.
Buoniconti passed away Tuesday night in hospice care after a years-long struggle with dementia that his family believes was brought on by chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the brain injury that can result resulting from football-related trauma.
Buoniconti was a middle linebacker first with the Boston Patriots and from 1969 through '76 with the Dolphins.
He was a five-time AFL all-star for Boston _ along the way earning his law degree _ and also earned Pro Bowl honors his first year in Miami, later playing a key role as the driving force of the famed "No-Name Defense" in the Dolphins' historic 1972 Perfect Season and in the repeat Super Bowl championship in 1973.
Buoniconti was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
His impact on the field was great, but his impact off the field was even greater.
He founded the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the Buoniconti Fund after his son, Marc, had been paralyzed while playing college football for The Citadel in 1985.
"With a heavy heart we mourn the loss of a man who was truly larger than life, my father," Marc Buoniconti said Wednesday. "My dad has been my hero and represents what I have always aspired to be: a leader, a mentor and a champion. He made a promise to me that turned into a revolution in paralysis research."
Buoniconti hosted HBO's acclaimed "Inside the NFL" show for 23 years. Last year, the same network would feature him in a poignant 75-minute documentary, "The Many Lives of Nick Buoniconti," about his multi-faceted life and how in his latter years he struggled physically and mentally to perform even the simplest tasks, such as pulling a T-shirt over his head.
I last saw Buoniconti in December 2015 when the franchise's all-time greats were a art of the club's 50th anniversary celebration at the Diplomat hotel in Hollywood. He looked dapper in a dark suit, holding a glass of white wine. I recall thinking he looked more like a U.S. senator than former linebacker.
The dementia that led to his steep decline would begin showing soon after.
He was asked in that documentary if football had caused his condition.
"I'm positive of that," he said.
Upon his wishes, Buoniconti's brain will be donated to C.T.E. Center of Boston University.
