Former Patriots offensive lineman Adams, 67, dies in Houston

HOUSTON (AP) Former New England Patriots offensive lineman Sam Adams has died in Houston at the age of 67.

Adams became ill at his Houston home last Saturday and died at a hospital, Rodney Coleman of Coleman's Mortuary in Jasper said Wednesday. No cause of death was released.

Adams, who was a Jasper native, played for Prairie View A&M before joining the Patriots in 1972. His son, also named Sam Adams, played for Texas A&M. He joined the Seahawks in 1994 and his NFL career through 2007 included stops in Baltimore, Oakland, Buffalo, Cincinnati and Denver.

The elder Adams spent most of his NFL career with New England, finishing with New Orleans in 1981.

''This is really sad news for Patriots fans who enjoyed watching Sam Adams play and the many Patriots teammates who played with him throughout the 1970s,'' Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft said, before referring to one of the nation's founding fathers, Boston-born Samuel Adams. ''Not only was he a stalwart in the trenches for nearly a decade, but I can't think of a more appropriately named player to represent the Patriots.''

Adams started 90 of the 119 games he played in for the Patriots during his nine seasons there. In 1978, he was part of a line that paved the way as the Patriots won the AFC East and set an NFL team record by rushing for 3,165 yards. Sam Cunningham led the team that year with 768 yards rushing.

The funeral is Saturday at Church of Jesus Christ House of Prayer in Jasper, 120 miles northeast of Houston.