Jack Tatum - After Football

After Football

Tatum retired after he was released by the Oilers following the 1980 season. Following the end of his playing career, Tatum became a land developer and moved into the real-estate business. He became part owner of a restaurant in Pittsburg, California. Tatum also married and had three children. He wrote three best-selling books: They Call Me Assassin (1980); They Still Call Me Assassin (1989); and Final Confessions of NFL Assassin Jack Tatum (1996).

Prior to Super Bowl XL, ESPN's Andrea Kremer conducted an interview with Tatum in which he confirmed that he still had few regrets about the way he played during his football career.

Tatum eventually faced his own disability challenges, as all five toes on his left foot were amputated in 2003 due to a staph infection caused by diabetes He also suffered from an arterial blockage that cost him his right leg; he used a prosthetic limb thereafter. Tatum worked in increasing awareness of diabetes. To facilitate this goal, he created the Ohio-based Jack Tatum Fund for Youthful Diabetes, which finances diabetes research. He also served as co-chair of an annual fundraiser for the Central Ohio Diabetes Association, Celebrities for Diabetes, which is held during the week of the Ohio State-Michigan game in Columbus.

Tatum died in Oakland on July 27, 2010 after a heart attack.