Bruce Armstrong

Last updated

Bruce Armstrong
No. 78
Position: Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1965-09-07) September 7, 1965 (age 58)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:295 lb (134 kg)
Career information
High school: Miami Central
(West Little River, Florida)
College: Louisville
NFL Draft: 1987  / Round: 1 / Pick: 23
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:212
Games started:212
Fumble recoveries:9
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Bruce Charles Armstrong (born September 7, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) from 1987 to 2000, playing all 14 seasons with the New England Patriots. He was selected in the first round (23rd overall) in the 1987 NFL Draft out of University of Louisville, [1] where he was a four-year varsity athlete and was named the "Most Outstanding Lineman" following his senior season. [2]

He was elected to play in six Pro Bowls, in 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997. The only offensive linemen to play in more Pro Bowls as a Patriot are Hall-of-Famer John Hannah and Jon Morris. Armstrong is one of only 29 Patriots to have been inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame and one of only seven players to have his number retired. Of 220 possible non-strike games, Armstrong started in 212 (including the last 118 of his career consecutively), which until 2015, made him the single player with the most starts of any Patriot. The only games he missed were in the second half of the 1992, after tearing the medial collateral ligament and both his anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee against the Buffalo Bills in November of that year. Though it was feared that the injury would be a career-ending one, Armstrong rebounded and was back the next season.

Armstrong and his wife, Melinda Yvette Armstrong, recently bought and now operate a salon in Alpharetta, Georgia. They have two children: Candace and Nicholas. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Plunkett</span> American football player (born 1947)

James William Plunkett is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for sixteen seasons. He achieved his greatest professional success during his final eight seasons with the Raiders franchise, whom he led to two Super Bowl titles.

Ben Terrence Coates, Jr. is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Livingstone College and was selected by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL Draft, where spent all but one season of his professional career. In his final season, he was a member of the Baltimore Ravens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodney Harrison</span> American football player and commentator (born 1972)

Rodney Scott Harrison is an American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons with the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots. He was selected in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Chargers, where he spent his first nine seasons, and was a member of the Patriots in his following six. Since leaving the NFL in 2009, he has served as a commentator for NBC's Football Night in America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thurman Thomas</span> American football player (born 1966)

Thurman Lee Thomas is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He was selected by the Bills in the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft, where he spent all but one season of his professional career. Thomas spent his final NFL year as a member of the Miami Dolphins in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andre Tippett</span> American football player (born 1959)

Andre Bernard Tippett Sr. is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, where he was recognized as a consensus All-American in 1981. A second-round pick in the 1982 NFL Draft, Tippett was selected to five Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro twice in his career. Since 2007, he has been the Patriots' executive director of community affairs. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orlando Pace</span> American football player (born 1975)

Orlando Lamar Pace is an American former professional football player who was a tackle for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the St. Louis Rams. Pace played college football at Ohio State University, where he twice received unanimous All-American honors, and was selected by the Rams first overall in the 1997 NFL Draft. He spent all but one season of his professional career in St. Louis, concluding his NFL tenure as a member of the Chicago Bears.

Erik George Williams is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. He played college football at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where he was an NAIA All-American offensive lineman. Williams was a third round selection in the 1991 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hannah (American football)</span> American football player (born 1951)

John Allen Hannah, nicknamed "Hog", is an American former football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football at the University of Alabama, where he twice received All-American honors, and was selected fourth overall by the Patriots in the 1973 NFL Draft. Considered one of the greatest offensive linemen of all time, Hannah received nine Pro Bowl and seven first-team All-Pro selections. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. The same year as the former, he became the inaugural inductee of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.

Theodore Washington Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a nose tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He also played for the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, and Cleveland Browns before retiring after the 2007 season. Washington was selected to four Pro Bowls in his career and with the Patriots, he won Super Bowl XXXVIII over the Carolina Panthers. At 6'5" and more than 375 pounds in his prime, he was described as "the prototypical [3-4] nose tackle of this era." His gargantuan frame earned him nicknames like "Mt. Washington" or "Washington Monument". Also notable for his longevity, Washington was a starting nose tackle, one of the most physically demanding positions in football, until the age of 39.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Jackson (American football, born 1951)</span> American football player and broadcaster (born 1951)

Thomas Louie Jackson, also referred to as "TJ" or "Tommy", is an American sports commentator and former professional football player. He played as a linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1973 to 1986. He was a member of Denver's "Orange Crush Defense" and helped lead the Broncos to the AFC Championship in 1977 and 1986. After his playing career ended, he enjoyed a successful 29-year run as an NFL analyst for ESPN. He was given the Pete Rozelle Award for excellence in broadcasting by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Mark Pulemau Tuinei was an American professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Known as a "gentle giant", his career lasted for 15 years (1983–1997) and his ability to protect quarterback Troy Aikman and to run-block for running back Emmitt Smith helped them win Super Bowls in 1992, 1993, and 1995 and the NFC East Division in 1985 and 1992-96. He was also selected for the Pro Bowl in 1994 and 1995.

Stanley Douglas Morgan is an American former football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. A "deep threat" receiver, he holds the NFL record with 19.2 yards per catch, and also holds the Patriots team record for total receiving yards in a career.

"The Greatest Show on Turf" was a nickname for the high flying offense of the St. Louis Rams during the 1999, 2000, and 2001 National Football League (NFL) seasons. The offense was designed by attack-oriented offensive coordinator and head coach Mike Martz who mixed an aerial attack and a run offense in an Air Coryell-style offense. The Rams' offense during these three seasons produced record scoring and yardage, three NFL MVP honors, and two Super Bowl appearances and one championship. In 2000, the team set an NFL record with 7,335 total offensive yards. Of those, 5,492 were passing yards, also an NFL team record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Ringo</span> American football player and coach (1931–2007)

James Stephen Ringo was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played 15 years as a center, earning 10 Pro Bowl sections. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Jones (American football)</span> American football player and coach (1931–2010)

Stanley Paul Jones was an American football guard and defensive tackle who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991. Jones is credited as the first professional player to use weight training to improve his conditioning for football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucko Kilroy</span> American football player and executive (1921–2007)

Francis Joseph "Bucko" Kilroy was an American football player and executive. Kilroy was born in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia, where he attended St. Anne's grade school before attending Northeast Catholic High School and then Temple University. As a Junior at North he played on the Falcons Championship team of 1937.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Matthews (American football)</span> American football player and coach (born 1961)

Bruce Rankin Matthews is an American former professional football player who played as a guard, center, offensive tackle, and long snapper in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, from 1983 to 2001. He spent his entire career playing for the Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans franchise. Highly versatile, throughout his NFL career, Matthews played every position on the offensive line, starting in 99 games as a left guard, 87 as a center, 67 as a right guard, 22 as a right tackle, 17 as a left tackle, and was the long snapper on field goals, PATs, and punts. Having never missed a game due to injury, Matthews' 293 NFL games started is the third most of all time, behind quarterbacks Brett Favre and Tom Brady.

Jackie Ray Slater, nicknamed "Big Bad Jackie", is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire career with the Rams franchise: 19 seasons in Los Angeles, from 1976 to 1994, and one in St. Louis in 1995. Slater holds the record amongst all offensive linemen who have played the most seasons with one franchise.

William Harold Roberts is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants, New England Patriots and New York Jets. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

David Studdard is a former offensive tackle who played in two National Football League (NFL) Super Bowls for the Denver Broncos and played for the National Championship in college football for the Texas Longhorns - losing all three games.

References

  1. "1987 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  2. "Bruce Armstrong Profile - Louisville Cardinals Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  3. "Official Biography from Patriots.com". Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2016.