Career Highlights
- Steve will be entering his tenth pro season in 1982, all of those years with the Patriots
- Noted for his leadership and aggressive play on special teams
- Served as special teams captain in 1981 was active for and played in all 16 regular-season games with one start in 1981 started regular-season opener vs. Baltimore (9-6) for the injured Mike Hawkins and recorded four tackles…played the majority of the season with a broken wrist recorded 17 tackles and eight assists on the year and provided backup depth at the outside linebacker post behind both Rod Shoate and Mike Hawkins.
- On 10/26/80 at Buffalo, Steve played in his 100th game as a Patriot… he is now one of seven Patriot players on the active roster to have played 100 games in a Patriot uniform…
- Games Played/Started: 1973-7/0, 1974-14/14, 1975-14/8, 1976-11/7, 1977- 14/4, 1978-16/6, 1979-16/0, 1980-16/0, Total: 108/39
- Stats: Interceptions: 1974 – one for 9 yds, at NY Jets, 10-3.
College Highlights
- Three-year performer at both DE and LB for the Golden Hurricane, the best game came when he made 20 tackles his junior year against Louisville.
- Completed his degree in Physical Education at Tulsa in 1976.
Personal
- Quinton, Oklahoma is a long way from Foxboro, Massachusetts, but somehow, Steve King found his way there.
- For most of his childhood, Steve grew up on a cattle ranch in southeast Oklahoma owned by his grandmother who, in turn, deeded his family 40 acres. As one might imagine, his life was full of the chores typical of that type of setting, but when those were done, sports dominated, and football was on the top of that list.
- How he got from Tulsa to the Patriots in 1973 was not typical. Due to a red-shirt violation by his college coach, Steve was ineligible for the 1971 draft and had to wait for the supplemental draft in which the New Orleans Saints chose him. But the league owed the Patriots a favor (here’s where things get murky) having to do with something about Joe Kapp coming to the Patriots the year before. In any event, the team asked if they could sign Steve as a free agent. The proposal went to then-commissioner Pete Rozelle, who approved the deal, and Steve King became a Patriot where he played linebacker for nine years.
- Once football was over, it was decision time again for Steve. At 32 years of age, Steve says it “was like starting over.”
Rather than use his Bachelor of Science degree in Education, a friend who worked for Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance convinced him to get into the business. - For ten years he worked as an independent agent and then in 1992, opened his brokerage. He then merged his firm with Risk-Strategies, where he currently works.
- Steve and his wife Cathy have two children, Tyler, a starting defensive end at the University of Connecticut, and Angelee.