
Former Patriots quarterback/punter Tom Yewcic passed away Wednesday at the age of 88, the team announced.
Prior to being selected in the 27th-round (319th overall) of the 1954 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Yewcic helped Michigan State to a Rose Bowl victory over UCLA. He also was a standout baseball player at Michigan State, where he was named the College World Series Most Outstanding player in 1954.
After being selected by the Steelers, Yewcic opted to play baseball and signed with the Detroit Tigers. He signed with the Boston Patriots seven years later in 1961.
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Yewcic began his career with the Patriots primarily as a punter before replacing an injured Babe Parilli at quarterback. He punted 377 times for 14,533 yards during his career. In 77 games as a QB, Yewcic completed 87 passes for 1,374 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Yewcic also was used as a running back and receiver, tallying 72 carries for 424 yards and four touchdowns in addition to posting seven receptions for 69 yards.