FOXBORO — 

Houston Antwine, one of the Patriots’ top defensive players in their early years, and his wife, Evelyn, have died, the team said yesterday.

Antwine, 72, died Monday in Memphis, Tenn., of heart failure, and his wife died yesterday of lung cancer, the team said.

A member of the Patriots’ 50th Anniversary Team, Antwine played from 1961-71 with the franchise before spending the 1972 season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 142 regular-season games for the Patriots, he had 39 sacks, leading the team in that category during the 1967, 1968, and 1969 seasons, although sacks were not an official statistic then.

“For those of us who grew up watching the Boston Patriots, this is a really sad day,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. “In the 1960s, the defensive tackle tandem of ‘Twine’ and Jim Lee Hunt were as good as any in the league and helped propel the Patriots to the franchise’s first division championship in 1963.

“I loved hearing Houston’s stories about those early days in Boston. It was such a thrill for me, personally, to spend time with the players from that era.

“I am saddened to learn of the deaths of both Houston and Evelyn and want to express my deepest sympathies to the Antwines’ daughter, Regina, and all who mourn her losses. Let us all cherish life and remind loved ones how we feel about them daily.”

Antwine attended Southern Illinois, where he became a multiple sport athlete, a defensive tackle and an NAIA wrestling champion.

At 6-foot, 270 pounds, he was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the eighth round (64th overall) in 1961, then traded to the Patriots before ever playing a game for the Oilers. Antwine became a defensive catalyst for the Patriots, making the all-star team from 1963-68.

In addition to making the Patriots’ 1960s All-Decade team, he was chosen to the all-time All-AFL team.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Houston Antwine, one of the Patriots’ top defensive players in their early years, and his wife, Evelyn, have died, the team said Tuesday.

Antwine, 72, died Monday in Memphis, Tenn., of heart failure, and his wife died Tuesday of lung cancer, the team said.

A member of the Patriots’ 50th Anniversary Team, Antwine played from 1961-71 with the franchise before spending the 1972 season with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 142 regular-season games for the Patriots, he had 39 sacks, leading the team in that category during the 1967, 1968, and 1969 seasons, although sacks were not an official statistic then.

“For those of us who grew up watching the Boston Patriots, this is a really sad day,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. “In the 1960s, the defensive tackle tandem of ‘Twine’ and Jim Lee Hunt were as good as any in the league and helped propel the Patriots to the franchise’s first division championship in 1963.

“I loved hearing Houston’s stories about those early days in Boston. It was such a thrill for me, personally, to spend time with the players from that era.

“I am saddened to learn of the deaths of both Houston and Evelyn and want to express my deepest sympathies to the Antwine’s daughter, Regina, and all who mourn her losses. Let us all cherish life and remind loved ones how we feel about them daily.”

Antwine attended Southern Illinois, where he became a multiple sport athlete, a defensive tackle and an NAIA wrestling champion.

At 6-foot, 270 pounds, he was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the eighth round (64th overall) in 1961, then traded to the Patriots before ever playing a game for the Oilers. Antwine became a defensive catalyst for the Patriots, making the all-star team from 1963-1968.

In addition to making the Patriots 1960s All-Decade team, he was chosen to the all-time All-AFL team.

Services and burial information were not yet available.

BOSTON (CBS) – The New England Patriots organization is mourning the loss of Houston Antwine, a member of the team’s 50th Anniversary Team, who passed away Monday night.

Antwine, a six-time All Star in the American Football League, was 72.

Compounding the loss was the news that his wife, Evelyn, also passed away Tuesday morning.

“For those of us who grew up watching the Boston Patriots, this is a really sad day,” Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said in a release. “In the 1960s, the defensive tackle tandem of ‘Twine’ and Jim Lee Hunt were as good as any in the league and helped propel the Patriots to the franchise’s first division championship in 1963. Myra and I had the good fortune of hosting Houston and his wife, Evelyn, at my home just two years ago when we honored the Patriots 50th Anniversary Team. I loved hearing Houston’s stories about those early days in Boston. It was such a thrill for me, personally, to spend time with the players from that era. I am saddened to learn of the deaths of both Houston and Evelyn and want to express my deepest sympathies to the Antwine’s daughter, Regina, and all who mourn her losses. Let us all cherish life and remind loved ones how we feel about them daily.”

Antwine was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the eighth round, 64^th overall, of the 1961 AFL Draft, but was then traded to the Boston Patriots before ever playing a game for the Oilers. Antwine became a defensive catalyst for the Boston Patriots in the newly formed AFL and was selected as an AFL All-Star for six consecutive seasons, spanning 1963-1968. His play earned him the highest accolade as he was elected to the Patriots 1960’s All-Decade team and was named to the All-Time All-AFL Team.

Antwine spent 11-of-his-12 professional seasons with the Patriots (1961-69- AFL Boston Patriots, 1970- NFL Boston Patriots, and 1971- NFL New England Patriots) before playing the 1972 season, his final, with the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL.

In 142 regular season games for the Patriots, he recorded 39 sacks and led the team in that respective category during the 1967, 1968, and 1969 seasons.

In 2009, the New England Patriots Hall of Fame nomination committee selected Antwine as one of three Patriots alumni most deserving for the team’s Hall of Fame induction.

Both the New England Patriots and Boston Bruins are playing very, very well right now. Tom Brady and the Patriots are 11-3 and sitting atop the AFC and AFC East with only two games to go in the regular season. Meanwhile, Zdeno Chara and the Bruins have won five in a row and are also sitting atop their conference (the Eastern Conference).

So which team is the best in the city?

Only in Boston can we take two successful teams and pit them against each other for supremacy. Why? Well, because it’s Boston, where we only breed winners. Anything less than a championship is not acceptable. Right now, both the Patriots and Bruins are looking like they have a shot at bringing home yet another title.

Let your voices be heard and vote in our poll! Tell us who is better – the three-time Super Bowl champs or the six-time Stanley Cup Champs! 

For more New England Patriots and Boston Bruins coverage, visit our Pats and B’s team pages and blogs, Pats Pulpitand Stanley Cup Of Chowder.

Poll

Which Boston Team Is Better: Patriots Or Bruins?

BOSTON (CBS) – The CBS Boston sports team makes their predictions for the New England Patriots big matchup in Denver against Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos.

Walt Perkins, WBZ NewsRadio 1030

It is crunch time in the NFL, that time of year when the better teams find a way to win.

The Patriots have flourished in December. They have traditionally found a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Kind of like what the Denver Broncos are experiencing this year with quarterback Tim Tebow. The much-maligned southpaw has led his team to six straight wins; most in dramatic fashion (three games were settled in overtime).

Read: Pats-Broncos Preview

The Patriots have a QB who knows a thing or 12 (get it?) about fourth quarter comebacks. Tom Brady has engineered a few while at the helm of the good ship Patriots.

However, both players will be the first to tell you that they can’t – and don’t – get the job done without the help of their teammates. That means all of their teammates who toil on both sides of the ball.

This season has been a little different for Brady and the offense. The defense has struggled. It has given up more plays in excess of 20 yards than any other team in the NFL.

The Patriots have succeeded this season because the offense has been able to exploit virtually every defense it faces.  It will need to do that in Denver, as well.  The best way to keep Tebow from engineering any last-minute heroics is to make the margin so large he doesn’t have a prayer, so to speak.

The Broncos have a solid defense but not solid enough to contain Brady and his offense. In the end, it will be the Patriots quarterback taking a knee and it won’t be a genuflection reflection. It will be to watch the final seconds tick off the scoreboard for their 11^th win of the season.

Patriots 41, Broncos 24

Steve Burton, WBZ-TV Sports

The Patriots head to Denver, which is never a fun place for Tom Brady. In fact, he is just 1-5 career against the Broncos.

The Pats have to play all 60-minutes on Sunday or Tim Tebow will make them pay. The kid just gets it done in the fourth quarter. The offense needs to get ahead early and take any “Tebow Magic” out of the equation.

With Deion Branch out, I hope Chad Ochocinco can factor into the Patriots offense. There is no doubt Rob Gronkowski will have a big game, but it would be nice to see Ocho finally get involved. While the Broncos defense has played well, Brady should exorcise his Mile High demons and put up Brady-like numbers.

Stats: Pats-Broncos Head to Head

The Pats defense will have a tough test containing Tebow, and need to make him throw. As bad as the New England secondary has been, Tebow has been just as bad throwing the ball. The guys on the line will have to make sure they contain him, and when he gets to them make sure he goes down. Don’t be surprised if the Pats have someone spying on Tebow throughout the afternoon.

This game should be  a fun one to watch, just as long as it isn’t close in the end. It’s been great watching these Denver comebacks from afar, but no one wants to see another one this weekend.

Dan Roche, WBZ-TV Sports

I would love to see this game live up to the non-stop hype it received this week,

Part of me thinks that the Patriots will win fairly comfortably because Denver hasn’t faced many good teams during this Tebow-led 7-1 run. The best team they faced was a Jets team that was reeling and coming off a Sunday night game and had to pay on a Thursday night.

Read: Dan Roche’s December Thoughts

With that said, Tim Tebow and the Broncos are a dangerous team. They believe in him. He makes plays when he has to and others around him respond. Granted, Chicago running back Marian Barber gave Denver a chance by running out-of-bounds when Denver couldn’t stop the clock last week. But, give credit to Denver. The team (yes, team) led by Tebow took advantage and pulled out a win.

The one factor here is the Patriots have their own weapon/leader/competitor in Tom Brady. Brady can win this game…maybe more so thanTebow. He has to play well.

Can the Pats defense stop Tebow? Yes. For 60 minutes? Probably not. I see the Pats hanging on…..barely.

Pats 27-24 

Levan Reid, WBZ-TV Sports

Okay, I know the hype around Tim Tebow and this game. First and foremost, Tebow has done a great job of helping the Broncos turn their fortunes around. He was a winner in college and he is showing that he can be a winner in the pros.

The Pats though are built to beat a team like this. Outside of last week, they have been very good against the run. They should have problems with Willis McGahee and Tebow but not struggle.

Read: Levan Reid’s Patriots Blog

After last weeks tussle on the sideline, Tom Brady has someting to prove and he will go for it early. Pats put up points and take Denver out of their gameplan. They win this one.

Tune in to the Patriots-Broncos game Sunday on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub at 4:15pm. Pregame coverage begins Sunday morning at 11:30am on WBZ-TV with Patriots Gameday; pregame coverage on the Hub begins at 1pm. After the game, tune in to The Postgame Show on 98.5 and Patriots Fifth Quarter on MyTV38.