For Pats’ Hall of Fame, Faulk wears it well
FOXBORO — In preparations for his induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame on Monday, running back/ return man Kevin Faulk was fitted for his red jacket yesterday in a brief ceremony at Gillette Stadium.
“When I came out of college you never heard about too many guys playing with one football team for his whole career, and that was one of my goals,” said Faulk, who was a second-round pick in 1999 out of LSU, where he is the school’s alltime leading rusher. “It was tough, but it happened.”
Faulk played 13 seasons and is the Pats’ all-time leader in all-purpose (12,349) and kickoff return yards (4,098) and fifth with 3,607 rushing yards. The threetime Super Bowl champion quickly adapted to a role as the third-down back.
“He did everything we ever asked him to do and one of the most unselfish players I’ve ever coached,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “A guy who really understood his role, did a great job in his very important role.”
Faulk credited his mother for being unselfish, and agent Raymond Brothers for embracing Belichick’s plan to use him primarily on third down.
“I’m human, at the beginning when he was like ‘We’re going to try you at third-down back,’ that wasn’t my first choice. I want to be the guy,” Faulk said of some initial hesitation. “As a competitor you want to be the guy, you want to be that guy that helps your football team.
“My agent at the time was like, ‘Hey, be patient, you never know what God is doing for you in your life.’ Thirteen years later, look.”
According to Faulk, as soon as his agent said that, he was on board with the plan.
“(He) played some of his best football in the biggest games,” Belichick said. “Very deserving and I’m proud to have coached (him).”
He played in four Super Bowls, converting a thirdand-2 in the final minute of the first half to set up Tom Brady’s 8-yard TD pass for a 14-3 halftime lead over the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
He ran in a two-point conversion with 2:51 left in Super Bowl XXXVIII that put the Patriots in front of Carolina 29-22 following Mike Vrabel’s TD catch.
In the Super Bowl XXXIX win over Philadelphia, Faulk had two catches for 27 yards and two carries for 20 yards in the drive that put the Patriots ahead for good, 21-14, early in the fourth quarter.
These days the 40-yearold Faulk serves as an assistant coach at Carencro High School, his alma mater in Lafayette, La. He will miss the opening day of practice on Monday.
As far as his induction speech, Faulk said it will come from the heart and there will be tears.