Tedy Bruschi Tedy Lacap Bruschi ( ; born June 9 , 1973 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League ( NFL ) for thirteen seasons . He played college football for the University of Arizona , and was a two - time consensus All - American . He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft , and played his entire professional career with the Patriots . Bruschi won three Super Bowl ring s and was a two - time All - Pro selection . Early years . Bruschi was born in San Francisco , California . His grandparents were from Bedonia in Italy . He attended Roseville High School in Roseville , California , where he lettered in high school football , wrestling and track and field ( shot put ) . He was an all - conference selection as a defensive tackle for the Roseville Tigers . College career . Bruschi attended the University of Arizona , where he played for the Arizona Wildcats football team from 1991 to 1995 . In his four - year college career , he compiled 185 total tackles ( 137 solos ) , with 74 tackles for losses , six fumbles and recovered five others and tied the NCAA Division I - A sack record with 52 sacks . He was recognized as a consensus first - team All - American in 1994 and 1995 , and won the 1995 Morris Trophy as the Pacific - 10 Conference ' s best defensive lineman . In 1991 he missed the first three games of the season due to a pinched nerve in his neck . He returned and started two games as a true freshman , but suffered a broken left thumb and was redshirted . In 1992 he played strongside outside linebacker prior to his transition to the defensive line in 1993 and started just one of 12 games and still managed to post 4 . 5 sacks for the season . In 1993 he earned second - team All - America honors after setting a school record with 19 sacks as a sophomore , received first - team All - Pac - 10 honors , and was named the Wildcats ' most valuable player . His 27 . 5 tackles for losses and 19 sacks in 1993 were each career highs . In 1994 he was one of four finalists for the Lombardi Award and again was a first - team All - Pac - 10 selection . He totaled 39 tackles , including 10 sacks and 15 tackles for losses . In 1995 , he totaled 60 tackles ( 48 solos ) , including 18 . 5 sacks and 22 . 5 tackles for losses . Professional career . 1996 - 2001 . The New England Patriots selected Bruschi in the third round ( 86th overall ) of the 1996 NFL Draft . Coming into the draft he was listed at 6 ' 0 250 pounds and was considered too small to be a defensive end but was a good size to be a linebacker , which is where he was moved to by New England . He played for the Patriots from to . The Patriots coaches moved him from defensive lineman to linebacker . In 1996 he played in every game as a rookie , a pass rush specialist who played on many special teams units and finished the season with 11 tackles , including four sacks . He ranked third on the team with 17 special teams tackles . Bruschi recorded two sacks in Super Bowl XXXI against the Green Bay Packers , just one shy of the Super Bowl record ( Reggie White , 3 . 0 ) . In 1997 he saw action in every game for the second consecutive season and posted 30 defensive tackles , including four sacks , and added 13 special teams stops . His four sacks and 13 special teams tackles each ranked third on the team and he also forced two fumbles , and recovered one . In 1998 Bruschi played in every game for the third consecutive year and started the last eight games of the season , including the Patriots wild - card playoff game in Jacksonville ( January 3 , 1999 ) . He finished fourth on the team with a career - high 81 tackles , including a pair of sacks . In 1999 he started 14 games at outside linebacker and recorded a career - high 138 total tackles , including two sacks . Bruschi finished second on the team in tackles , despite missing two games due to a right knee sprain . He made his first career interception , one of six passes defensed on the year . 2000 saw Bruschi start all 16 games at weakside linebacker and finished with 105 tackles ( 68 solos ) . It was his second consecutive season with over 100 tackles . In 2001 he started nine of 15 regular season games at linebacker and finished third on the team with 73 tackles . He was credited with two sacks , forced three fumbles , recovering one and two interceptions . 2002 - 2004 . In 2002 Bruschi was voted a defensive captain for the season by his teammates . He ranked seventh on the team with 65 tackles ( 45 solos ) despite missing five games due to injury . He returned two interceptions for touchdowns ( at Oakland , November 17 , and at Detroit , November 28 ) , the seventh time a Patriot interceptor has reached the end zone twice in a single season and the first time a linebacker has accomplished the feat . In 2003 he started all 16 games at inside linebacker as one of four defensive players to start all 16 games and he was voted a defensive captain for the season by his teammates . He ranked second on the team with 137 tackles ( 87 solo ) and finished third on the team with 16 pass defenses . He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week in Weeks Two and 14 . In the 2004 regular season , Bruschi finished second on the team with 122 tackles ( 84 solo ) and tied for second on the team with three interceptions . His solid play continued in the playoffs , where he finished second on the squad with 23 tackles ( 18 solo ) and added a sack , an interception , a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries . Bruschi was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week three times in 2004 : Weeks 4 and 17 and in the Divisional Playoffs , when he forced a fumble and recovered two fumbles as the Patriots defense held the highly regarded Colts offense to just three points . 2005 stroke . On February 16 , 2005 , just days after playing in the 2005 Pro Bowl , Bruschi was taken to a hospital with symptoms including temporary numbness , blurred vision , and headaches ; Bruschi was diagnosed with a mild stroke . He suffered from a patent foramen ovale , a congenital heart defect that leaves a small hole in the wall separating the left and right atria of the heart . Bruschi suffered from partial paralysis and was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital . After several months of rehabilitation working with Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston , Bruschi announced he would sit out the 2005 NFL season . On October 16 , 2005 , the Patriots announced that Bruschi had been medically cleared to resume playing football ; he rejoined the team on the practice field three days later . The Patriots officially activated him on October 29 , and he played the following night against the Buffalo Bills ; ESPN ' s broadcast of the game had several features and interviews on Bruschi ' s return . Following the game , Bruschi was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week . Bruschi played most of the remaining games that season , except for the final regular season game against Miami and the first playoff game against Jacksonville . Bruschi was named the 2005 NFL Comeback Player of the Year , an honor he shared with Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith . 2006 - 2008 . At the start of training camp , Bruschi broke his right scaphoid bone which he had surgery on August 8 . He was listed as questionable , and didn ' t play in the first game of the 2006 season against the Buffalo Bills . Bruschi was voted a defensive captain by his teammates and started the final 14 games at linebacker . He finished first on the team with 124 tackles . In the 2006 playoffs , Bruschi led the Patriots with 24 tackles ( 16 solo ) , marking the highest playoff tackle total of his career . He also led the team with 23 tackles ( 15 solo ) in the 2007 playoffs . In 2007 he played in and started all 16 regular - season games for the fourth time in his career and was voted a defensive captain for the 2007 . He tied a single - game career high with a two - sack performance against the Cleveland Browns on October 7 , 2007 , and ran his career total to 30 . 5 sacks , becoming the 13th player in Patriots ' history to reach that milestone . Also he led the team in tackles ( 99 ) and solo tackles ( 69 ) in 2007 . In 2008 he played in 13 games , starting 12 , and was named a defensive captain by his teammates for the seventh season . Touchdowns . Bruschi is the only player in NFL history to return four consecutive interceptions for touchdowns and his career total of four interceptions returned for touchdowns ranks second in Patriots history . He is tied for fourth in NFL history among linebackers , and Bruschi is the only Patriots linebacker to return multiple interceptions for touchdowns in a single season ( 2002 and 2003 ) . Additionally , since 2002 Bruschi ' s defensive play has created seven defensive touchdowns . He scored four of those touchdowns on interception returns ( two in both 2002 and 2003 ) , forced two fumbles that were picked up and returned for touchdowns ( October 3 and November 28 , 2004 ) , and tipped a pass that was intercepted by James Sanders and returned for a touchdown ( December 11 , 2005 ) . This is in addition to his first career touchdown at Baltimore ( October 6 , 1996 ) when Bruschi recovered a blocked punt by Larry Whigham and returned it four yards for a touchdown , making 8 total touchdowns to which Bruschi contributed . Retirement . On the August 30 , 2009 , broadcast of " Sunday Night Football " , Al Michaels reported that Bruschi would announce his retirement after 13 seasons in the NFL . Bruschi confirmed his retirement on August 31 , 2009 at a press conference alongside New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft . During this broadcast , Bruschi described how fulfilled he felt in completing his 13 years of playing football . He described how it felt to know that he had reached all of the goals he wanted to reach . One writer speculated that Bruschi retired from the Patriots in the 2009 preseason , rather than being cut / released by coach Bill Belichick before the 2009 season . Bruschi joined ESPN as an analyst following his retirement , and will also serve as game analyst for WBZ - TV Boston ' s telecasts of New England Patriots pre - season games in 2013 . Bruschi has indicated that he would prefer that his number not be retired . It was worn by six - time Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters in 2011 . Starting in 2012 , his number 54 is now worn by Dont ' a Hightower . The New England Patriots held a special ceremony in Bruschi ' s honor during halftime on " Monday Night Football " on December 6 , 2010 . Voted Into Patriots Hall Of Fame . On May 21 , 2013 Tedy Bruschi was voted by fans as the 19th player and 21st member to enter the New England Patriots Hall of Fame . Bruschi ' s Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place during half - time of a Thursday Night Football game between New England and the New York Jets on September 12 , 2013 . Personal . Bruschi is of Filipino and Italian descent . An accomplished saxophonist , Bruschi has played with the Boston Pops . Bruschi is one of three children . His step father , Ron Sandy , was a professional tennis player . In 2007 Bruschi wrote " " , a book about his experience with his stroke and his recovery . In his memoir , Bruschi speaks with candor about how his family confronted the reality of his life - threatening affliction , of his initial plans to retire from the NFL , and of the moment he told his wife he was ready to return to football , earning him a share of the Comeback Player of the Year Award and the Patriots recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award . Bruschi is a spokesman for the American Heart Association and founded Tedy ' s Team , a foundation to raise funds for stroke research , inspired by Bruschi ' s own experience . In 2007 Bruschi was named to NFL . com ' s All - Interview Team for accessibility to the media . In 2006 he both won the Senator Paul E . Tsongas Award for Exemplary Public Service and was a Rhode Island Italian - American Hall of Fame Inductee . In 2005 he was the Associated Press NFL Co - Comeback Player of the Year and was voted the Ed Block Courage Award , the Maxwell Football Club ' s Spirit Award and the AFC Defensive Player of the Week ( Week 8 ) and NFL . com ' s All - Interview Team as well as USA Today ' s All - Joe Team . In 2004 he made the AFC Pro Bowl and Second - Team Associated Press All - Pro and was on NFL . com ' s All - Interview Team . In 2012 , Bruschi ran in the Boston Marathon , wearing bib number 21677 . He finished in a time of 5 hours , 26 minutes , 2 seconds . Tedy and his wife , Heidi , have three sons , Tedy Jr . , Rex , and Dante .