To say that Steve Tasker’s impact is immediate would be an understatement. Although the Buffalo Bills lost that game, a new era of football had come to Western New York. He landed a perfect jump on the snap and blocked the first punt of his career.Īs he left the field, he met the eye of Marv Levy, who knew he had found a guy he could rely on. As the Patriots punt unit took the field after a missed possession, Tasker lined up. The following week, Buffalo visited the New England Patriots.
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“A few weeks later we were getting ready to play the Patriots and Marv stopped me coming in after practice in a snowstorm and taught me how to block a punt” Steve Tasker had never played this role before, but he had the build for it and the speed. In fact, Marv Levy took a particular interest in his new toy, holding him back after practice to teach him how to block punts.
On Faragalli’s recommendation, Tasker was stolen. Levy made the decision, telling legendary general manager and eventual Wall of Fame colleague Bill Polian to make the call. Levy was looking for difference makers and taking all the suggestions he could get.
Faragalli was an Oilers coach before joining new Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy and knew Tasker from his year there the previous season. It was thanks to the Bills’ new tight ends coach, Joe Faragalli, that Tasker got a fresh start. Likewise, on November 8, 1986, Steve Tasker was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills. After less than two seasons in a limited role, Tasker was cut and hit the waiver wire. He was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 9th round with the 226th pick. Still considered undersized, the future legend fell far on the boards. So Steve Tasker declared for the 1985 NFL Draft. Significantly more visible at Northwestern, he had a reasonable draft profile and the attention of a few NFL teams. Then, finding he had an opportunity to qualify for the pros, Tasker transferred to Northwestern University for his final two years of college football. There he bulked up, becoming a major contributor as a wide receiver, kicker and returner. After his senior year, Steve Tasker accepted a scholarship to Dodge City Community College. Despite his success in high school, Tasker was widely considered too small to contribute to nationally recognized college programs. He didn’t get much respect from the scouts. At this age he also discovered his love for radio, but he was not able to pursue this dream for some time. For the Wichita County Indians, he excelled in track and field, basketball, and football. Tasker’s love for football started at an early age, but it wasn’t his only love. He brought respect to special teams units like no player had before, and his incredible career put him on the verge of being inducted into the Hall of Fame time and time again. The legendary Tasker is known as one of the greatest gunners in NFL history and the first true special team member to be recognized as a star player. We are, of course, talking about Steve Tasker.
#Steve tasker hall of fame series
The Walking the Wall of Fame series continues, this time covering one of the most beloved men to ever take the field for the Buffalo Bills.
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