RALEIGH, N.C. (Feb. 19) – Isaac "Ike" Lassiter was a mountain of a man with a bigger heart.
Standing about 6-foot-6, 270 pounds, Lassiter terrorized linemen, first as a student-athlete at then-Saint Augustine's College and later as a pro player.
Opponents felt his presence in the trenches. At Saint Augustine's, Lassiter was a force on both sides of the line in earning All-CIAA honors.
As a professional player, he stayed on the defensive side of the ball, much to the chagrin of offensive linemen. Playing defensive end, Lassiter was one of the main pass rushers on an Oakland Raiders team that reached Super Bowl II after winning the 1967 American Football League (AFL) championship.
The accolades came his way after a slow start to his pro career. He was drafted in the ninth round by the NFL's Los Angeles Rams in 1967 but had short stints with the Rams and Denver Broncos of the AFL before settling in with the Raiders, where he emerged as an All-AFL player.
Lassiter is the only player from Saint Augustine's College/University to start in a Super Bowl.
After 12 years in the AFL and NFL, including time with the Boston/New England Patriots, Lassiter played one season for the Jacksonville Sharks in the World Football League before retiring in Oakland, Calif.
During his retirement, Lassiter showed his gentle side. He became a teacher, counselor, and football coach in the area, and was a servant at his local church in Oakland.
Lassiter passed away in 2015 at the age of 74.
In 2016, his family and administrators from Wilson (N.C.) Darden High School, where he attended, received a gold commemorative football during the year of the 50
th Super Bowl to recognize Lassiter and others who competed in the NFL's biggest game over the years.
"My uncle was a very intelligent man who loved his family. Although he wasn't around much due to his obligations as a professional football player, when he came around, he was very much respected and well known. Uncle T was a great man, and my family has always been very proud of him. We will miss him dearly and still hold memories of his incredible attributes as one of the greatest football players of all time." – Angela Barnes, Isaac Lassiter's niece and the director of the Saint Augustine's University Taylor Wellness Center.
Below are football highlight links of Lassiter (wearing No. 77) and the Oakland Raiders of the 1960s. More highlights are on YouTube.
Lassiter's football history -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3DawvPiwuY
1968 Super Bowl -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw-qxCMK8Aw
Raiders' 1967 AFL Championship Season -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I56f0cuORI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiC1JizSTtc (Lassiter hits NFL Hall of Famer Joe Namath at the 5-minute mark)
