Nick Buoniconti Nicholas Anthony Buoniconti ( born December 15 , 1940 ) is a former American Football League and NFL Hall of Fame middle linebacker , who played for the Boston Patriots and Miami Dolphins . Born on December 15 , 1940 in Springfield , Massachusetts , Buoniconti graduated from Notre Dame , and was drafted by the American Football League ' s Patriots in the thirteenth round of the 1962 AFL draft . Pro career . As a tackle , Buoniconti was the captain of the 1961 Notre Dame football team , but was considered by NFL scouts as " too small " to play pro football . Drafted by the Boston Patriots in the 1962 American Football League college draft and switched to linebacker , Buoniconti made an immediate impact , as he was named the team ' s rookie of the year . The following year , he helped Boston capture the 1963 AFL Eastern Division title . With Boston , he appeared in five AFL All - Star Games , and recorded 24 interceptions , which is still the seventh - most in team history . He was named 2nd team All - AFL in 1963 and the following season began a run of five consensus All - AFL seasons in the following six seasons , missing only 1968 when he was named second - team All - AFL . Buoniconti is a member of the Patriots All - 1960s ( AFL ) Team and the AFL All - Time Team . He was traded to the AFL ' s Miami Dolphins in 1969 . He continued to play well with the Dolphins , in 1969 - 1974 and 1976 , and made the AFL All - Star team in 1969 and the NFL Pro Bowl in 1972 and 1973 . Buoniconti was also named All - AFC in 1972 . His leadership made him a cornerstone of the Dolphins ' defense . During his years there , the team advanced to three consecutive Super Bowl appearances , the second of which was the team ' s 1972 undefeated season . In 1973 , he recorded a then - team record 162 tackles ( 91 unassisted ) . He was named to the AFC - NFC Pro Bowl in 1972 and 1973 . Buoniconti ended his career with an unofficial 24 sacks , eighteen with the Patriots and six while with the Dolphins . He was named the Dolphins ' Most Valuable Player three times ( 1969 , 1970 , 1973 ) . In 1990 , he was voted as a linebacker on the Dolphins ' Silver Anniversary All - Time team . On November 18 , 1991 , he was enshrined on the Miami Dolphin ' s Honor Roll at Joe Robbie Stadium . Buoniconti got his law degree during his years with the Patriots . He was a practicing attorney for a short time . He was also president of the US Tobacco Company during the late 1970s and early 1980s . He was a leading critic of studies which showed that smokeless tobacco caused cancer of the mouth as well as other types of cancer . In recent years , he has become the most outspoken member of the 1972 team ; it is rumored that he leads a champagne toast every year after the last remaining undefeated team loses for the first time . Also , it is reported that Buoniconti sends a Christmas card every year to former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Bob Lurtsema , whose roughing - the - passer violation in an early 1972 game aided the Dolphins ' undefeated season . Buoniconti also appeared in one of the American Express " Do you know me ? " TV ads , in which he talked about the No - Name Defense . The punch line was a variation on an old joke , with Buoniconti remarking that " everyone " knows him now . A passerby remarks , " Hey , I know you . . . you ' re . . . uh . . . uh . . . " trying to recall Buoniconti ' s name . Upon being told that it ' s Nick Buoniconti , the passerby says , " No , that ' s not it . " Buoniconti put his verbal talent to use as a co - host of the HBO series " Inside the NFL " until 2001 . That same year , Buoniconti was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame . In 1985 , after his son Marc suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury making a tackle for The Citadel , Nick became the public face of the group that founded the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis , now one of the world ' s leading neurological research centers . Buoniconti is a member of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame . College career . In 1960 , As a junior , was second on the Fighting Irish in tackles ( behind senior captain Myron Pottios ) with 71 . As a senior in 1961 led the team with 74 tackles as the Irish co - captain and was rewarded with 2nd - team All - America selections from UPI , TSN , and the Football Coaches ' Association .