With 19 days left (including today) in our 25 day celebration of the 1996 AFC championship team, what better time than now to shine a light on the guy who wore No. 19 throughout his Patriots tenure, Tom Tupa.

That’s right, today is dedicated to a punter.

Tupa actually had a remarkably long career in the NFL, entering the league as a third rounder (68th overall) when he was picked by the Cardinals in 1988 and he finished with Washington in 2004. Seven years into his career, Tupa was signed by the Patriots heading into the 1996 season. In his four years with Phoenix, one with Indianapolis and two with Cleveland before becoming a Patriot, Tupa had already racked up almost 7,000 yards worth of punts.

In 96, Tupa wasn’t needed nearly as much as he may have expected with the offense humming like it was. Still, Tupa punted the ball 63 times that season (compared to 80 times in 1994 with the Browns under coach Belichick or 103 times with Washington in 2004) for 2,739 yards. He had only one punt blocked the entire season and averaged 43.5 YPP.

Tupa put 14 punts inside the 20-yard line during the regular season in 1996, but saved his best for the postseason. Tupa dropped two punts inside the 20 against Pittsburgh, three against Jacksonville in the AFC Championship game and three against Green Bay. The Patriots defense gave up a total of nine points in the first two games, coincidence? Probably not.

Tupa punted six times against Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXI, averaging 45.1 yards per punt and totaling a whopping 361 yards. If not for the Desmond Howard kick off return that was the dagger, Tupa may have been remembered more for playing a pivotal role in helping the Pats keep it close for a while.

We also can’t forget to mention the fact that Tupa was an okay quarterback during his career as well. Tupa threw just two passes in 96 and didn’t complete either one, but during his career he finished 259/504 for 3,430 yards, 12 TD’s and 25 interceptions.

Tupa ended up playing in 232 career games (1996-1999 for the Patriots) with seven teams, but his contribution to the 1996 team shouldn’t be overlooked. With Bill Parcells still getting a young defense to play up to its talent level, Tupa’s ability to flip the field in big spots that season was critical.

Tomorrow is Day 8 of our 25 days celebrating the 1996 AFC Champion New England Patriots, be sure to check back and see who or what we’re highlighting tomorrow!