Tommy Polley

Tackles:	392
Pass deflections:	26
Sacks:	6.0
Forced fumbles:	4
Interceptions:	4

Tommy Polley
No. 52, 50
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	January 18, 1978 (age 46); Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:	Dunbar (Baltimore)
College:	Florida State
NFL draft:	2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 42
Career history
	St. Louis Rams (2001–2004); Baltimore Ravens (2005); New Orleans Saints (2006)*;
	* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
	BCS national champion (1999);
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:
Tackles:	392
Pass deflections:	26
Sacks:	6.0
Forced fumbles:	4
Interceptions:	4

Last updated May 28, 2024

Tommy William Polley (born January 18, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He originally played for the St. Louis Rams from 2001 to 2004 before signing with the Baltimore Ravens as a free agent in 2005. He played only one season with the Ravens before signing with the Saints on June 2, 2006. Polley grew up in Baltimore and played football for Dunbar High School. He was a Top 50 Basketball prospect according to Hoop Scoop.

Early years

Polley was hailed as one of the top prep athletes in the nation during his senior year at Dunbar High School in Baltimore,^{[ citation needed ]} which is regarded as one of the top producers of basketball talent in the country.^{[ citation needed ]} He was USA Today’s Player-of-the-Year in Maryland after recording 208 tackles (136 solo), 16 sacks and eight interceptions as a senior. He also caught 34 passes for 567 yards and three TDs. He led his team to back-to-back state championships as a junior and senior and was named Baltimore area Defensive Player-of-the-Year after both his junior and senior campaigns. He was also regarded as one of the country’s top 60 basketball prospects,^{[ citation needed ]} and led the Poets to four straight state titles—averaged 20.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game as a senior.

College career

Polley enrolled at Florida State University as a scholarship player. He ended his collegiate career with 289 tackles (170 solo) and was a semi-finalist for the Butkus Award, third-team Football News All-American, First-team All-ACC selection, and a finalist for the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award (as a result of his courageous comeback from the injury he suffered in the Sugar Bowl). In his final season at FSU, Polley had 100 tackles with 53 solo tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, broke up 7 passes, recovered a team-high 3 fumbles, and forced one. The defensive leader and captain took the Seminoles to another National Championship (2001 Orange Bowl), even though his team ultimately lost 13-2 to the Oklahoma Sooners. In his junior year in 1999, Polley had an outstanding season when he led Florida State with 109 tackles (67 solos) and also had six stops for loss. He earned First-team All-ACC accolades. In his Sophomore Year (1998) he started 12 of 13 games at both outside linebacking posts and had 59 total tackles (37 solo) and had two tackles for loss. 1997 was his freshman Year (and he totaled 21 tackles with 13 solo stops in the first year of action and played in all 12 games and had at least one tackle in eight games. In 1996, he Redshirted along with most of his class.

Professional career

Polley was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft.^[1] He finished his rookie season with 67 tackles (50 solo). Polley went on to have a 6-year NFL career, amassing 304 tackles with 224 solo stops, and retired in 2007 after a shoulder injury sidelined him for most of the season. After 4 seasons with the Rams, he finished his career by spending one year with the Baltimore Ravens and his final year with the New Orleans Saints.

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2001	STL	16	11	85	68	17	0.0	4	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0
2002	STL	12	11	61	46	15	0.0	1	0	0	0	0	2	2	1	0	0
2003	STL	14	14	70	58	12	0.0	6	4	32	0	22	12	1	1	0	0
2004	STL	15	13	79	66	13	2.0	5	0	0	0	0	6	1	0	0	0
2005	BAL	16	15	97	73	24	4.0	5	0	0	0	0	3	0	1	2	0
		73	64	392	311	81	6.0	21	4	32	0	22	26	4	3	2	0

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2001	STL	3	3	30	22	8	0.0	0	2	35	1	34	4	0	0	0	0
2003	STL	1	1	7	7	0	0.0	1	1	37	0	37	1	0	0	0	0
2004	STL	2	2	18	14	4	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0
		6	6	55	43	12	0.0	1	3	72	1	37	7	0	1	0	0

Coaching career

Polley coaches for St. Mary's High School in St. Louis, Missouri as the defensive coordinator.

Related Research Articles

Peter Nicholas Boulware is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for nine seasons with the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, earning recognition as a consensus All-American. A first-round pick of Baltimore in the 1997 NFL draft, he played his entire pro career for the Ravens.

Christopher James McAlister is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona Wildcats, earning unanimous All-American honors. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft, and played for the Ravens for 10 seasons before playing his final season with the New Orleans Saints.

London Levi Fletcher-Baker is an American former linebacker who played for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the St. Louis Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Washington Redskins. He played college football at John Carroll and signed with Rams as an undrafted free agent in 1998. After four seasons with the Rams, he was a member of the Bills for five seasons and spent his last seven seasons with the Redskins. He made four Pro Bowls during his Redskins tenure and won a Super Bowl title with the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.

Grant Alden Wistrom is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. Wistrom played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and was a two-time All-American. He was selected in the first round of the 1998 NFL draft, and played in the NFL for the St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks.

Ryan Lamonte Pickett Sr. is an American former professional football player who was a nose tackle for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Pickett was selected with the 29th pick of the first round in the 2001 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. He also played for the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans. With the Packers, he beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.

Etuini Haloti Ngata is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, earning consensus All-American honors. Ngata was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft, and was voted to the Pro Bowl five times. Ngata played for the Ravens for nine seasons before being traded to the Detroit Lions before the 2015 NFL season. Ngata was also a member of the Philadelphia Eagles for one season in 2018 before retiring.

Christopher Lee Canty is a former American football defensive end. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He also played for the New York Giants, winning Super Bowl XLVI with them over the New England Patriots in 2011, and the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football at Virginia.

Orien J. Harris is a former American football defensive tackle. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami, where he was a part of the 2001 National Championship team; considered by many to be the greatest college football team of all time.

James Oscar Butler, Jr. is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Georgia Tech. Butler earned a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

Brian Young is an American football coach and former player defensive tackle who is a defensive coach for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Young played college football for the University of Texas at El Paso, and professionally for the St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints of the NFL.

Sean Wayne Conover is a former American football defensive end. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Bucknell.

Kevin Payne is an American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UL Monroe Warhawks and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL draft.

Calais Malik Campbell is an American football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft.

Larry James Grant is a former American football linebacker. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State. Grant also played for the St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears.

Darian Stewart is an American former professional football player who was a strong safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks. He was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent after the 2010 NFL draft and also played for the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As a member of the Broncos, he won a Super Bowl ring in Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers. He was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2017.

Danny Gorrer is a former American football cornerback. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Texas A&M. Gorrer was also a member of the St. Louis Rams, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Detroit Lions.

Robert Quinn is an American football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and was selected by the St. Louis Rams with the 14th pick in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft.

Michael Seth Brockers is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football for the LSU Tigers. He was considered to be one of the best defensive tackle prospects in the 2012 NFL draft, where he was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the first round.

Dennard Wilson is an American football coach and former safety who is the defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He is a former American football safety in the NFL who was signed as a free agent by the Washington Redskins in 2004. He played college football at the University of Maryland and matriculated with a bachelor's degree in Communications.

Kyle Hamilton is an American football safety for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame, where he was named a consensus All-American in 2021 before being drafted by the Ravens in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

References

↑ "2001 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-18.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "2001 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-18.

[1]