Walt Patulski Walter George Patulski ( born February 3 , 1950 , Fulton , New York ) is a former American football defensive end at the University of Notre Dame and the National Football League . High school . Patulski was a star athlete at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse , New York , where he was a three - year letterman in football , basketball , and track and field . In his senior season in 1967 , the 6 - foot - 5 fullback scored 140 points and led the Brothers to a 7 - 1 record . He was All - City in football and basketball . A High School All - American , he received over 60 scholarship offers to play football . In 1991 , Patulski was voted to the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame for his activities as a high school athlete . College career . At the University of Notre Dame , Patulski was converted into a defensive end . He was an All - America n in 1971 , and he won the 1971 Lombardi Award , which is given to college football ' s best lineman . A Fighting Irish captain , he finished ninth in that year ’ s Heisman Trophy balloting . Selected the Nation ' s Lineman of the Year by UPI and Gridiron Magazine in 1971 . Patulski was named to " Football News " sophomore All - America squad in 1969 and was an honorable mention All - American in 1970 . Started every game in his collegiate career , and totaled 186 tackles , 40 for losses ; broke up 10 passes ; recovered five fumbles and returned one blocked punt 12 yards . In his final football season at Notre Dame , 1971 , he was the team defensive MVP . Patulski made 74 tackles , 22 more than his total for the 1970 season . Seventeen of those stops resulted losses for the opposing team . Patulski also broke up six passes , recovered one fumble . The 1969 - 1971 Irish rushing defenses and total defenses were ranked in the nation ' s top six all three years and its scoring defense was in the top ten in 1970 and 1971 and complied a record of 25 - 4 - 1 over those three seasons while Patulski was a starter . He was awarded the game ball for his performance in the Irish initial 1971 contest against Northwestern and was acclaimed as national lineman of the week following the North Carolina game . His play versus Michigan State prompted the head coach Duffy Dougherty to hail him as Notre Dame ' s " finest defender " . Patulski was later named to Notre Dame ' s All - Century team . He played in the 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic and the Hula Bowl . In the Hula Bowl he won the Defensive Lineman of the Game award . In the summer of 1972 , Patulski played in the College All - Star game , in Chicago , IL . Patulski was lauded by one team as " ( T ) he best we ' ve seen for many years . " All but unstoppable on the pass rush , he dazzled the experts with his " amazing agility and lateral mobility . " Pro career . Patulski was drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the first overall pick of the 1972 NFL Draft . He was the last Notre Dame player to be drafted # 1 overall . His size and speed were among the reasons he was highly touted : At 6 ' 6 " and 250 pounds , he could run the 40 in 4 . 9 seconds . As a rookie , led the Bills in sacks with 5 . In 1973 the Bills improved to a 9 - 5 record after going 4 - 9 - 1 in his rookie season of 1972 . Patulski recorded 7 sacks , which was second on the team and was voted AP NFL Defensive Player of the Week November 28 , 1973 , after week eleven . In 1974 , the Bills recorded another 9 - 5 record and made the playoffs for the first time in eight years as Patulski recorded 5 - 1 / 2 sacks . The Bills were 8 - 6 his third season , but did not advance to the AFC playoffs . He recorded only 4 sacks , a career low , however , 2 came in a game against the St . Louis Cardinals offensive line , who gave up only 8 sacks in 1975 . Patulski lined up against St . Louis all - pro and Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle Dan Dierdorf , and had a spectacular game . Patulski harassed Hart all day and was one of the reasons the Cards were held to just 54 yards on the ground . He played 4 years ( 1972 – 75 ) with the Bills , and then he was traded to the Cardinals for a second - round draft pick . And played one year with the St . Louis Cardinals ( 1977 ) . He then suffered career - ending knee injury . However , Patulski ' s career was considered unsuccessful . In fact , ESPN ranked him as the 27th biggest draft bust of all - time on April 18 , 2008 . Personal . Walt is a recipient of the Key to Syracuse ( New York ) for his distinguished community service . He served for six years as Commissioner of the Syracuse Board of Education , and has also been a board member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America . He has also recently been guest speaker at the National Football Foundation . Appointed later elected , Commissioner of Education , Syracuse School District , 1980 . Patulski has two daughters , Wallis and Emily . Wallis is a graduate of George Washington University . Emily graduated from Boston University where she majored in psychology .