Rutgers football mourns the passing of Nate Toran, one of the greatest players in program history and a member of the inaugural class inducted into the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame. The two-time All-America selection from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, died Saturday at 66.
Toran is survived by his wife, Jackie, son, Nathaniel, and daughter, Marcy, as well as three grandchildren, Xavier, Molly and Lincoln, his sister, Carolyn, two brothers, Melvin and Harvey, and his two nieces and four nephews. Toran will be laid to rest in New Jersey and in lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
A four-year letterwinner from 1973-76, Toran is the Scarlet Knights’ all-time leader with 52 career sacks, 23 more than second place in the school record book. That includes the top three single-season sack marks: 19 (1974), 17 (1976) and 16 (1975).
Toran served as a captain for the 11-0 1976 team that led the nation in total defense (179.2), scoring defense (7.4) and rushing yards allowed (83.9). The defensive lineman ended his career with 18 consecutive wins, a school record.
“On the field, I’m not playing just for myself,” Toran said in 1975. “If I do something well, I don’t dwell on it. All the team members help each other out, and no one person can really take the credit. We all have a lot of respect for each other. Still, for me there is nothing like the pleasure I get from sacking a quarterback.
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Toran would sign with the Philadelphia Eagles before suffering a career-ending injury. He later would become one of the nine members of the first Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame class in 1988. Securing four degrees, Toran was also enshrined in the New Jersey Sports Writers Hall of Fame.
