FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2001, file photo, Nick Buoniconti, former Boston Patriots and Miami Dolphins linebacker, gives two thumbs up while being introduced at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinees Civic Dinner in Canton, Ohio. Pro Football Hall of Fame middle linebacker Nick Buoniconti, an undersized overachiever who helped lead the Miami Dolphins to the NFL's only perfect season, has died at the age of 78. Bruce Bobbins, a spokesman for the Buoniconti family, said he died Tuesday, July 30, 2019, in Bridgehampton, N.Y. (Damon J. Moritz/Independent via AP, File)