III 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 434 

Honoring the life of Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 19, 2019 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Ms. WARREN, Mr. MARKEY, and Mr. SCOTT of Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed 

to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the life of Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti. 

Whereas Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti (referred to in this 

preamble as ‘‘Nick Buoniconti’’) passed away at his home 

in Bridgehampton, New York, on July 30, 2019; 

Whereas Nick Buoniconti was born on December 15, 1940, 

in Springfield, Massachusetts; 

Whereas the parents of Nick Buoniconti, Nicholas Buoniconti 

Sr. and Pasqualina (Mercolino) Buoniconti, contributed 

greatly to the Springfield community and ran an Italian 

bakery named Mercolino’s in the South End neighborhood of the city; 

Whereas the brother of Nick Buoniconti, Peter Buoniconti, 

remembers him as the best athlete and the smartest and 

toughest kid in the South End; 


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•SRES 434 ATS 

Whereas Nick Buoniconti played guard on offense and linebacker on defense for the football team of the University 

of Notre Dame and graduated from the university in 

1962; 

Whereas Nick Buoniconti was chosen in the 13th round of 

the 1962 American Football League (referred to in this 

preamble as the ‘‘AFL’’) draft by the Boston Patriots; 

Whereas Nick Buoniconti played for the Patriots from 1962 

until 1968; 

Whereas Nick Buoniconti appeared in 5 AFL All-Star games 

and made 24 interceptions during his time with the Patriots; 

Whereas, in 1968, Nick Buoniconti earned his juris doctor 

from Suffolk University Law School in Boston and was 

a member of both the Florida Bar and the Massachusetts 

Bar; 

Whereas, in 1969, Nick Buoniconti was traded to the Miami 

Dolphins, for whom he played until 1976; 

Whereas Nick Buoniconti was the captain of the back-to-back 

Super Bowl Championship teams of the Dolphins, including the undefeated 1972 team; 

Whereas Nick Buoniconti earned the Most Valuable Player 

title of the Dolphins 3 times during his career with the 

team; 

Whereas, in 7 seasons with the Dolphins, Nick Buoniconti 

earned 3 Pro Bowl berths and advanced to 3 straight 

Super Bowl appearances, winning 2 of them; 

Whereas Nick Buoniconti was inducted into the National 

Football League (referred to in this preamble as the 

‘‘NFL’’) Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001 for his years 


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•SRES 434 ATS 

as a middle linebacker with the Patriots and the Dolphins; 

Whereas Nick Buoniconti served as an agent to professional 

athletes and, for 23 seasons, co-hosted the weekly sports 

show ‘‘Inside the NFL’’; 

Whereas, on September 8, 2019, the Dolphins honored the 

passing of Nick Buoniconti by wearing a helmet sticker 

with his initials, ‘‘NAB’’, during the regular season opener of the team; 

Whereas current NFL commissioner Roger Goodell praised 

Nick Buoniconti for his grit, fearlessness, and skill while 

playing with the Patriots and the Dolphins; 

Whereas Nick Buoniconti consistently advocated and fought 

for the health and safety of other NFL players; 

Whereas, in 1985, the beloved son of Nick Buoniconti, Marc 

Buoniconti, became a quadriplegic after suffering a spinal cord injury while playing college football; 

Whereas Nick and Marc Buoniconti were among the cofounders of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the 

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, a leading 

research center for spinal cord and brain injuries; 

Whereas Nick Buoniconti founded The Buoniconti Fund, 

which has raised more than $500,000,000 to fund the 

mission of the Miami Project to find a cure for paralysis 

resulting from spinal cord injury; 

Whereas Nick Buoniconti donated his brain to the Chronic 

Traumatic Encephalopathy (referred to in this preamble 

as ‘‘CTE’’) Center of Boston University and the Concussion Legacy Foundation; 


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•SRES 434 ATS 

Whereas, upon making the decision to donate his brain, Nick 

Buoniconti expressed his hope for a better understanding 

of the long-term effects of CTE and other brain injuries 

that impact thousands of individuals each year; and 

Whereas Nick Buoniconti served on the Board of Trustees of 

the University of Miami for 27 years and received the 

Man of the Year ‘‘Helping Hands Award’’ from the Miller School of Medicine: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) extends its heartfelt sympathies to the fam3 ily, friends, and teammates of Nicholas Anthony 

4 Buoniconti (referred to in this resolving clause as 

5 ‘‘Nicholas Buoniconti’’); 

6 (2) honors the life and legacy of Nicholas 

7 Buoniconti; and 

8 (3) expresses appreciation for the fight of Nich9 olas Buoniconti both on and off the field. 

Æ 


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