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Former Patriot Ray Costict dies at 56

Print | Comments () Posted by Shalise Manza Young, Globe Staff January 5, 2012 03:38 PM

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The Patriots have announced that former linebacker Ray Costict died on Tuesday in Orlando. He was 56.

A Mississippi native who remains the all-time leading tackler in Mississippi State history (467 tackles in three years) and was the 1976 SEC defensive player of the year, Costict was a special-teams standout with New England.

He was the 24th pick of the 11th round (303rd overall) in 1977, and found a niche on special teams as a rookie; in his second season, Costict started four games and was credited with 50.5 tackles. In the final season of his career, 1979, he was credited with 50 tackles and an interception.