Mike Stratton

This article is about the American football player. For the cancer researcher, see Michael Stratton.

Mike Stratton
Stratton tackles Keith Lincoln in 1964 AFL Championship game. SPORT Magazine
Date of birth	April 10, 1941 (1941-04-10) (age 70)
Place of birth	Vonore, Tennessee
Position(s)	Linebacker
College	Tennessee
AFL Draft	1962 / Round 13
Jersey Number	58
Career highlights
AFL All-Star	1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968
Awards	Buffalo Bills WOF
Honors	American Football League Champion, 1964 and 1965 AFL All-Time 2nd Team
Records	Most games played with same LB partners, 62 (Harry Jacobs and John Tracey)
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Teams
1962-1969 1970-1972 1973	AFL Buffalo Bills NFL Buffalo Bills NFL San Diego Chargers

David Michael Stratton (born April 10, 1941 in Vonore, Tennessee) was an American football linebacker in the AFL and NFL for the Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers.^[1]

Drafted out of the University of Tennessee in the 13th round of the 1962 AFL Draft, Stratton was selected as an AFL All-Star six straight seasons from 1963 through 1968. Lou Saban used him at linebacker, where with Harry Jacobs and John Tracey he filled out the AFL's best linebacking crew, playing together for 62 consecutive games from 1963 through 1967, a pro football record.  They helped the formidable front four hold opposing teams without a 100-yard rusher for seventeen consecutive games in 1964 and 1965, and achieved American Football League championships in both those years.

In the 1964 AFL championship game against the San Diego Chargers, he made the memorable "hit heard 'round the world".  The Chargers led 7-0 and were marching toward another score when Stratton tackled the Chargers' Hall of Famer Keith Lincoln, putting him out of the game. The Bills shut out San Diego for the rest of the game, and won, 20-7. Stratton was selected to the All-Time All-AFL second team.^[1]

See also

• Other American Football League players

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "The Best Outside Linebackers Not in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame". bleacherreport.com. May 22, 2010. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/395320-the-best-outside-linebackers-not-in-the-pro-football-hall-of-fame#page/12. Retrieved October 4, 2010. 

External links

• Stratton's 1965 Topps football card

Persondata
Name	Stratton, Mike
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 10, 1941
Place of birth	Vonore, Tennessee
Date of death
Place of death