Rik Bonness

Last updated
Rik Bonness
No. 54, 53
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1954-03-20) March 20, 1954 (age 70)
Borger, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school: Bellevue (NE)
College: Nebraska
NFL draft: 1976  / Round:  3  / Pick: 84
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:59
Games started:2
Player stats at PFR

Richard Kyes "Rik" Bonness (born March 20, 1954) is an American former college and professional football player who was linebacker for four seasons in the National Football League (NFL). A consensus All-American at Nebraska as a center, he played professionally for the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Born in Borger, Texas, Bonness played high school football at Bellevue High School in Bellevue, Nebraska, a suburb south of Omaha. He graduated in 1972 and then received a scholarship to the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, the two-time defending national champions under head coach Bob Devaney. Bonness and played center for the Conrnhuskers on the offensive line under new head coach Tom Osborne.

Following his senior season in 1975, Bonness was a consensus first-team All-American, having received first-team honors from Associated Press (AP), United Press International (UPI), Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and Football News. [1]

The Oakland Raiders chose Bonness in the third round of the 1976 NFL Draft (84th overall). He played linebacker as a pro and appeared in 59 games across four seasons for the Raiders (1976), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (19771979) and New York Giants (1980). He saw no regular season action in 1980. [2]

During his rookie season, the Raiders won Super Bowl XI in January 1977.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XXXVII</span> 2003 National Football League championship game

Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2002 season. The Buccaneers defeated the Raiders by the score of 48–21, tied with Super Bowl XXXV for the seventh-largest Super Bowl margin of victory, winning their first-ever Super Bowl. The game was played on January 26, 2003, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Gruden</span> American football coach (born 1963)

Jon David Gruden is an American professional football coach who is an advisor for the Milano Seamen of the European League of Football. He held his first head coaching position with the Raiders franchise during their Oakland tenure from 1998 to 2001, where he won two consecutive division titles and made an AFC Championship Game appearance. Gruden was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002, which he led to their first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXVII the same season. At age 39, he was the then-youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl. He served as Tampa Bay's head coach through 2008, setting the franchise record for wins, but made only two further playoff runs. After his firing from the Buccaneers, Gruden was featured as an analyst for ESPN's Monday Night Football broadcasts from the 2009 to the 2017 seasons.

Simeon James Rice is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals third overall in the 1996 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derrick Brooks</span> American football player and executive (born 1973)

Derrick Dewan Brooks is an American former football linebacker who played for his entire 14-year career in the National Football League (NFL) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brooks played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, earning consensus All-American honors twice. He was selected by the Buccaneers in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft. An 11-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time first-team All-Pro, Brooks was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2002 en route to winning the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXVII. Following his retirement, Brooks served as co-owner and president of the Tampa Bay Storm in the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2011 to 2017. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

Walter Ray Perkins was an American football coach and player. He played as a wide receiver for the University of Alabama and Baltimore Colts. He later worked as a football coach for 28 years, including stints as the head coach for the New York Giants, the University of Alabama, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Arkansas State University.

Lawrence Edward Foote Jr. is an American football coach and former player who currently serves as the de facto co-defensive coordinator, pass game coordinator and inside linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Foote previously served as the linebackers coach for the Arizona Cardinals from 2015 to 2018. He played in the NFL as a linebacker for 13 season. Foote played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL draft.

Samuel Cowart III is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, earning consensus All-American honors. A second-round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, and Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. Cowart was a Pro Bowl selection in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monte Kiffin</span> American and football player and coach, Canadian football player.

Monte George Kiffin is an American football coach. He is currently a player personnel analyst at Ole Miss for his son, Lane Kiffin. He is widely considered to be one of the preeminent defensive coordinators in modern football, as well as one of the greatest defensive coordinators in NFL history. Father of the widely imitated "Tampa 2" defense, Kiffin's concepts are among the most influential in modern college and pro football.

Dwight L. Smith is an American former professional football player who was a safety for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Akron Zips, earning consensus All-American honors. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft, and he also played in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. Smith earned a Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Keith Joseph Millard is an American former professional football player who played as a defensive tackle for nine seasons for the Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers, the Seattle Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles from 1985 to 1993 in the National Football League (NFL).

Gregory Tyrone Spires is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State.

Ester James Junior III is an American former football player and coach. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, from 1981 to 1993, with the St. Louis / Phoenix Cardinals, the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Seattle Seahawks. Junior played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he played as a defensive end and earned consensus selection to the 1980 College Football All-America Team. He was selected by the Cardinals in the first round with the fifth overall pick of the 1981 NFL Draft. Junior served as the head football coach at Central State University from 2009 to 2013. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 2020.

Lucious Selmon is a collegiate and professional American football nose guard, and football coach. He began his coaching career in 1976 at his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma, and has also coached on professional teams. From 1995 to 2002, he was a coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and has also coached privately.

Mike Siani is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Colts.

Eric Johnson is a former professional American football linebacker.

The 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's first season in the National Football League (NFL). The Buccaneers played their home games at Tampa Stadium and their inaugural head coach was John McKay. The Buccaneers gained infamy as the first team to play an entire 14-game season without winning or tying a single game. It remains one of only four winless seasons since the merger. The Buccaneers did not score until their third game and did not score a touchdown until their fourth. They lost by more than a touchdown eleven times. Colorful, maverick former USC coach McKay, whose wisecracking remarks occasionally agitated fans and the league, led the team. The only bright spot was future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Lee Roy Selmon, who made his rookie debut in an injury-plagued season.

Randy R. Hedberg is an American football coach and a former player. He is the associate head coach and quarterbacks coach at North Dakota State University. Hedberg played as a quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) in 1977. He was the head football coach at Minot State University, his alma mater, from 1982 to 1989 and St. Cloud State University from 1999 to 2007, compiling a career college football record of 92–74–2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon Myers</span> American football player (born 1985)

Brandon Myers is a former American football tight end. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Asante</span> American football player (born 1988)

Larry Gibbs Asante is a former American football safety. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lavonte David</span> American football player (born 1990)

Lavonte Lamar David is an American football linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, twice earning All-American honors, and was selected by the Buccaneers in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft. Since entering the NFL, David has been named to three All-Pro teams, one Pro Bowl and won Super Bowl LV during the 2020 season, in a 31–9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

References

  1. 2014 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners , National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 10 & 14 (2014). Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  2. "Rik Bonness Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-05-23.