Houston Antwine, a defensive lineman for the Boston Patriots who was named to the AFL’s All-Time Team, has died at the age of 72.
Antwine died of heart failure on Monday night. Hours later, his wife Evelyn died of lung cancer on Tuesday morning.
“For those of us who grew up watching the Boston Patriots, this is a really sad day,” Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said in a statement released by the team. “In the 1960s, the defensive tackle tandem of ‘Twine’ and Jim Lee Hunt were as good as any in the league and helped propel the Patriots to the franchise’s first division championship in 1963. Myra and I had the good fortune of hosting Houston and his wife, Evelyn, at my home just two years ago when we honored the Patriots 50th Anniversary Team. I loved hearing Houston’s stories about those early days in Boston.”
Antwine played for the Patriots from 1961 to 1971 and was named to six AFL All-Star Games. He finished his career with the 1972 Eagles.