Robert Henry Dee (May 18, 1933 – April 1979) was an American football defensive end in the National Football League and the American Football League. He was a three-sport letterman at the College of the Holy Cross who was one of the first players signed by the Boston Patriots of the American Football League in 1960.
After two years with the Washington Redskins in 1957-58, Dee returned to Holy Cross to tutor the team's linemen.
He became an ironman of the American Football League who never missed a game during his career, starting 112 consecutive games. Despite equipment improvements over the years, Dee was a superstitious player who chose to wear the same helmet throughout his career (105 of 112 games).[citation needed] Dee etched his name in the history books by scoring the first touchdown in American Football League history when he dove onto a fumble in the end zone in an exhibition contest vs. Buffalo on July 30, 1960.[1] He was voted to four American Football League All-Star teams (1961, 1963–65) and is a member of the Patriots All-1960s (AFL) Team.
On July 22, 1968, Dee announced his retirement from professional football, citing a business opportunity that was "too good to resist."
In recognition of his accomplishments on the field, the Patriots retired his number (89).[2]
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New England Patriots
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Formerly the Boston Patriots and briefly the Bay State Patriots • Founded in 1959 • Based in Foxborough, Massachusetts |
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Dee, Bob |
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| Date of birth |
May 18, 1933 |
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Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Date of death |
1979 |
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