KRC Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Former Bill (and Bronco and Pat*) Tom Janik passed away on Saturday. Obit Stats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan72 Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack_spikes Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Good ole number 27. RIP Tommy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Sorry to hear. He was a fine player for us. Probably most remembered for his 101 yd. int. vs. Jets/Namath in our only win of of the '68 season. Byrd -no, not that Byrd- took 2 back to the house that day as well. A couple months later, NY won SBIII. R.I.P. Tommy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Will never forget that day in 1968 against the eventual SB winning Jets when Janik ran one back 100 yards against Joe Willie. Our only win of the season. But it was against the best team in the NFL that year. RIP, Mr. Janik. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 R.I.P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkx2 Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Will never forget that day in 1968 against the eventual SB winning Jets when Janik ran one back 100 yards against Joe Willie. Our only win of the season. But it was against the best team in the NFL that year. RIP, Mr. Janik. GO BILLS!!! That would be the AFL. The American Footall League of which I still miss. It's been very cool to see the AFL throwback games this year, complete with orange ref jerseys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Gehman Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 I offer my condolences to the Janik family. I enjoyed talking with Tommy a couple times, and proudly included him in my book. Leaving ‘Broadway Joe’ in the Dust Some players are upset when they are traded from one team to another. Tom Janik was not one of them. Joining the defending AFL champions may have had something to do with that. "I was glad because I didn’t like the coach at the time with the Broncos," said the safety, who was acquired by the Bills in 1965. "I liked Jack Faulkner, but then they let him go and they got another guy [Mac Speedie] there and I didn’t care for him at all." After collecting a team-high eight interceptions in 1966, the Poth, Texas, native topped that the following season when he picked-off a pass in four consecutive games, including three during a 44-16 victory against the Patriots on December 9. He finished with a league-leading 10 interceptions and earned a place in the AFL All-Star Game. "It was just one of those years. When you saw it coming and it came out right, you were there," Janik said. "You just had one of those years where everything works out right. The next year you might try the same thing and it might just backfire on you, too." New York’s quarterback, Joe Namath, would likely attest that, in fact, it didn’t backfire. Hosting the undefeated Jets on Sept. 29, 1968, the winless Bills made Namath’s afternoon miserable. Trailing 10-7 in the second quarter, New York was going for the lead when Janik stepped in front of a pass that was intended for Curley Johnson at the goal line and raced the interception untouched 100 yards for the touchdown. "I loved every minute of that! When I saw Namath throw that pass, I said, ‘Man, that’s all she wrote,’ and I took off," laughed Janik. "About the 30, I was laughing so hard because I turned around and looked, and he was limping and gimping, chasing me. I knew he couldn’t run with his bad leg. [in the end zone] I threw the ball in the air and about 15 fans fought like crazy. After the game there was one guy that handed the ball back to me, and it looked like he was whipped on all day and all night long. But he had a smile from ear to ear." Namath finished the game with five interceptions. In addition to Janik’s return for a touchdown, Butch Byrd [53 yards] and Booker Edgerson [45 yards] returned picks to the end zone as well. The Bills won, 37-35, for their only victory in the 1-12-1 campaign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 Thanks for sharing that, Jim, and likewise to KRC for letting us know of Mr. Janik's passing. R.I.P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDogg20 Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 R.I.P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomdayfan Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 Tom Janik's interception return against the Jets in that five-interception game was a great moment. To this day, Joe Namath will tell you that may have been the worst game of his career. And it's a good thing it was. If it weren't for those interceptions, every story about Detroit's winless season would have mentioned the 68 Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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