Bryce Paup

Last updated

Bryce Paup
Northern Iowa Panthers
Position:Assistant head coach & defensive line coach
Personal information
Born: (1968-02-29) February 29, 1968 (age 56)
Jefferson, Iowa, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school: Scranton (Scranton, Iowa)
College: Northern Iowa
NFL draft: 1990  / round: 6 / pick: 159
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:545
Sacks:75.0
Forced fumbles:15
Fumble recoveries:6
Interceptions:6
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Bryce Eric Paup (born February 29, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and the Minnesota Vikings.

Contents

Early life

Paup grew up on a farm in Scranton, Iowa, where he played football at Scranton High School, a small school that saw Paup as one of just 19 senior graduates in 1986.

He played collegiately at the University of Northern Iowa and was selected by the Packers in the sixth round of the 1990 NFL draft. [1]

Professional career

Paup played five games in his rookie 1990 season, recording no sacks. In the first game of the 1991 season, Paup was involved in a tackle below the waist on quarterback Randall Cunningham of Philadelphia Eagles that saw contact on the knee for what was soon diagnosed as a torn ACL for the quarterback that sidelined him the rest of the season (Cunningham was quoted as curious about why his knee was hit like that when Paup was already down around the waist but did not wish to put a burden on him). [2] Paup recorded a career-high 4.5 sacks in his second year on September 15 against Tampa Bay, which also included him recording a safety in the 15–13 victory. [3] Paup was utilized in four defensive positions during his Green Bay years, which would see him record 11 sacks in 1993 but somehow was not a Pro Bowl selection. It was 1994 when he managed to earn a Pro Bowl selection when he recorded three interceptions and 7.5 sacks. [4] Despite being named to the Pro Bowl that year, he was not offered a contract by the Packers (who were paying him less than $600,000 that year) after the season ended, as they initially cited the salary cap as a reason before team GM Ron Wolf admitted his error in letting Paup go loose. His aggressive physical style led Packers fans to refer to his tackle as “Paup Smear”, with Paup recording 32.5 sacks in his time with Green Bay. [5]

On March 8, 1995, the Bills signed Paup to a three-year contract worth $7.6 million with a $3.3 million signing bonus that would pair him with Bruce Smith in a 3-4 defense that had Paup assigned to "line up over the tight end and rush the quarterback all game." [6] In 1995, his first season with the Buffalo Bills, Paup was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. Paup led the NFL with 17.5 sacks, the fourth-highest single-season total of the 1990s. [7] Paup has been considered one of the top 50 players in Bills history. [8] NFL Total Access listed him as one of the Top 10 free agents of all time. [9]

On February 15, 1998, Paup signed a five-year contract worth $22 million with the Jacksonville Jaguars, making him the second highest-paid linebacker in the league next to Junior Seau. [10] Troubles with being asked to drop into coverage and a decline in sacks (having just 7.5 in 31 games) led to his unhappiness in Jacksonville; he was released after the 1999 season ended. [11] Paup signed a one-year contract just above the league minimum on February 6, 2000. [12] He made no starts in ten games played that year while recording two sacks.

In his career, Paup was a four-time Pro Bowl selection.

NFL career statistics

Legend
NFL Defensive Player of the Year
Led the league
BoldCareer high

Regular season

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckIntYdsTDFFFR
1990 GB 501––0.000000
1991 GB 12128––7.500030
1992 GB 161043––6.500012
1993 GB 151474––11.018020
1994 GB 16167947327.5347122
1995 BUF 161689701917.520031
1996 BUF 12114838106.000020
1997 BUF 16167858209.500021
1998 JAX 16166855136.500000
1999 JAX 1514302461.000000
2000 MIN 1007612.000000
Career 14811354529810175.06551156

Coaching career

On March 19, 2007, Paup was introduced as the head football coach at Green Bay Southwest High School. [13] He compiled a 22–14 regular season record in his first four seasons, and in 2009 secured the second playoff victory in school history. Prior to accepting the job, he was an assistant volunteer football coach for the De Pere High School Redbirds of De Pere, Wisconsin for three years, working primarily with the linemen and linebackers.

On March 5, 2013, Paup resigned from Green Bay Southwest and began his first season as the defensive line coach at the University of Northern Iowa. [14]

January 14, 2017, Paup was named University of Minnesota's defensive line coach. After one season with the Gophers, Paup left the Minnesota coaching staff, reportedly to pursue a coaching opportunity in the NFL. [15]

In August 2018, he returned to the University of Northern Iowa defensive line coach. [16]

Personal life

Paup lives in Cedar Falls, IA, with his wife Denise. They have six children: Alex, Nathan, Rachel, Hailey, and twins Paige and Lauren. [17]

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References

  1. ↑ "1990 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  2. ↑ "TEST CONFIRMS EAGLES' FEARS: CUNNINGHAM OUT FOR SEASON" . Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Bryce Paup Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  4. ↑ "PAUP FICTION BUFFALO'S BRYCE PAUP, NFL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AND SACK LEADER, HAD TO COOK UP A BUZZ-CUT, TOUGH-GUY DEMEANOR TO OFFSET A FAMILY-MAN IMAGE". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  5. ↑ "BUFFALO'S PAUP WINS NFL DEFENSIVE PLAYER HONORS". Deseret News. December 29, 1995. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  6. ↑ "PACKERS LOSE PAUP". Chicago Tribune. March 10, 1995. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Player Season Finder Query Results - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  8. ↑ Jun, Kurupt (June 11, 2009). "Top 50 All-Time Bills, No. 42: LB Bryce Paup". Buffalo Rumblings. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Video: Top 10 free agents all-time". NFL Total Access.
  10. ↑ "JAGUARS SIGN PAUP TO $22 MILLION DEAL" . Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Hugh Douglas, Bryce Paup among worst Jaguars free-agent signings". ESPN.com. March 8, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Vikings sign free agent Paup - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  13. ↑ "High school sports in Northeastern Wisconsin: Bryce Paup named coach of the week by former employer | greenbaypressgazette.com | Green Bay Press-Gazette". www.greenbaypressgazette.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Bryce Paup reportedly coming back to UNI to coach". wcfcourier.com. March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  15. ↑ "West in, Paup reportedly out as Gophers football coaching changes continue". Star Tribune. February 7, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  16. ↑ "UNI football: Relationships, expertise driving force in Bryce Paup's return to Panthers". The Des Moines Register .
  17. ↑ "Bryce Paup Bio". unipanthers.com. May 7, 2013. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
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