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Joe Andruzzi Offensive Lineman Claymores 1998 Inducted in 2002
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If there ever was a NFL season that ran the full gauntlet of human emotions, then Joe Andruzzi's 2001-02 NFL campaign was it. He began as a marginal starter and relative unknown on an unheralded New England offensive line and ended it a Super Bowl champion as one of the more talked about participants in the game because of what happened on that fateful day of 9-11-01. Inducting Joe into our Hall of Fame for 2002 was a no-brainer for his heroic efforts on the football field, but of course it's Joe brothers and all the other members of the FDNY who are the true heroes, and by electing Joe we'd like to pay tribute to them here. But first, let's recap Joe's football career. The Brooklyn native played college ball at a small Division III school Southern Connecticut State, where he was a first-team all-American selection in 1995 and '96. The Packers signed him as a free agent in 1997, but he stayed on their inactive all season including Super Bowl XXXII. Following in the footsteps of fellow Packer lineman Marco Rivera (Claymores 9y), Joe got allocated to the Claymores in 1998. Injuries besieged the Claymores offense that year, with its top QB, RB and WR's all missing various parts of the season. Despite this Joe helped clear the way for 3 individual 100 yard rushing performances that season which was tops in the league. He was named to the All-League team (only one of Claymores to make the team that year).Joe returned to Green Bay later that year as an improved player, and ended up backing Rivera at left guard all year playing in 15 games including one start at Tampa Bay. After the season Joe took part in the Pro Football Team Arm Wrestling Championships at Las Vegas with then-teammate Jim Kitts (Galaxy 1997), where the duo finished fifth out of 16 teams. |
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In 1999, with Adam Timmerman leaving for the Rams, the Packers moved Rivera to his old spot and it looked like Joe would become the starter at left guard. However a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee in a pre-season game set him back, and by the time he returned in Week 2 vs. the Lions he was tag teaming the position with Mike Wahle. In mid-season another injury on the line, this time to Earl Dotson, forced Wahle to move to right tackle, and Joe made three starts at left guard again. However in a game versus the Cowboys he aggravated the previous MCL sprain, along with suffering a slight sprain of the posterior cruciate ligament, and was done for the season. After undergoing corrective surgery on the knee in the off-season, the Packers felt Joe was still limited in some of his mobility, and he was no longer going to be an versatile player backing up all positions on the line. In a twist of fate, the Packers let Joe go at the end of the 2000 pre-season, preferring another ex-Claymore OT Barry Stokes to fill this role. In turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Joe, as the offensive line starved Patriots picked him up off waivers and immediately inserted him into the starting line-up. |
We were there for Joe's first win as a Patriot in Mile High Stadium in Denver 2000 |
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We were there in Denver, for Joe's first win as a Patriot (in his second start) as his 0-4 team upset the Broncos 28-19, winning in the Mile High city for the 1st time in XX years. It was Bill Bellichik's first win as New England coach, and provided a spark for a improved second half performance that saw the team finish 5-11, with Joe starting 11 straight games that year, until a leg injury put him on IR in early December.  Joe was a key member of the Patriots SuperBowl XXXVI winning team
Optimism for the 2001 season however was severely dampened by an opening day loss to the Bengals. But the pain of that defeat was instantly forgotten early on the Tuesday morning practice that followed. It was a practice that would be cut short, when the true horror of what was unfolding in New York was realised. However for Joe, events hit home in the truest sense as three of his brothers -- Billy, Jimmy and Marc were all New York firemen. Jimmy would be in Tower 1 that fateful morning, climbing his way to the 79th floor when Tower 2 collapsed and he was ordered to evacuate. While the Andruzzi brothers made it away from the devastation with their lives, but many of their comrades and close friends did not. Somehow out of the tragedy cam inspiration. It started when the NFL returned to the field September 23. Joe stormed onto the field at Foxboro waving a pair of American flags and at the coin toss. Then he was joined at midfield by his three brothers for the coin toss, as the crowd took in the emotional tributes and anthems. Although the Patriots would succumb to the New York Jets fittingly on this day, fans cheered for both teams as if they were their own. It was an unforgettable day. On a football aspect, it turned out to be an unforgettable day for the Patriots too. Late in the 4th quarter QB Drew Bledsoe has taken a vicious hit from Jets LB Mo Lewis and would be forced to go to the hospital after the game because of internal bleeding. Into the starting line-up stepped Tom Brady and the rest was history. Although Brady played well right from the outset, the Patriots were still 5-5 after a Sunday night loss to the Rams. However they would not lose again after that, as the team started playing well in all areas. One of the keys was the offensive live, where Joe and his team-mates helped clear the way for a surprise 1,000 yard rushing season from Antowain Smith. The same formula carried them to playoff victories in the snow versus the Raiders and at Pittsburgh when Bledsoe replaced an injured Brady. That sent the Patriots back to New Orleans for a Super Bowl, where they had lost twice before. But in this Patriotic Super Bowl, where even the logo had changed to the Patriots colours of red, white and blue, New England were destined for victory and third time was the charm for the franchise, as they upset the Rams 20-17 to earn Joe a well earned ring.
Joe celebrates with his brothers, winning the AFC Championship in Pittsburgh
Postscript. To read more about the story of the Andruzzi
brothers please check out NFL.com - From 1865 until 2001 FDNY lost 774 members
in the line of duty. On September 11th they lost an additional 343 members.
You can donate to their Widows & Children's Fund, by clicking the
following link - The
Uniformed Firefighter's Association To read more about the NYFD please go
to
Welcome to the Hall of Fame Joe! |
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