Sam Adams Sr. obit

Jasper native and NFL standout Sam Adams, Sr. has died

 

He was not on the list.

Jasper native and former NFL standout Sam Adams, Sr. has died at the age of 67. Adams passed away in his Houston, Texas, area home at about 2:00 Saturday morning.

According to Dr. Joe J. Breckenridge, Adams’ wife told him that she and Sam were talking when he went into the bathroom, but never came out. Mrs. Adams said she went to check on him and discovered that he had died. Dr. Breckenridge said the family suspects that he died of a sudden heart attack.

Breckenridge noted that Adams recently underwent knee replacement surgery, and recent studies have shown that knee and hip replacement patients over the age of 60 are at a higher risk for heart attacks.

After graduation from Rowe High School in 1967, Adams went on to play football and attend college at Prairie View A&M University, where he excelled at offensive tackle in the 1967 through 1970 seasons.

Adams then became a member of the New England Patriots, where he played offensive guard and offensive tackle for eight years, from 1972 to 1980. It was during this time in the mid 1970’s when Adams returned to Jasper in May and, wearing his New England Patriots jersey, made an appearance at the Jasper Lions Club Rodeo.

Adams finished his career with the New Orleans Saints, playing only one season, 1981, but playing in all 16 games that year.

Adams’ son, Sam Adams, Jr., followed in his father’s footsteps. He was a standout defensive player at Cypress Creek High School in Houston, and later at Texas A&M. Sam Adams, Jr. then went on to play thirteen years in the NFL from 1994 to 2007, which included stints at Seattle, Baltimore, Oakland, Buffalo, Cincinatti, and Denver.

Funeral services for Sam Adams, Sr. are pending at Coleman’s Mortuary of Jasper, and those close to the family say the service is tentatively planned for Saturday afternoon.

Reminiscent of when Newton native Ernie Holmes died in a tragic accident in Hardin County in January of 2008, it’s expected that many of Adams’ former teammates will be at his funeral service. Holmes’ funeral had to be held in the Jasper High School gym to accommodate hundreds of people who attended the service of the former NFL player who was on the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburg Steelers in the 1970’s.

He was the father of defensive tackle, Sam Adams. He is the uncle of safety Andrew Adams.