Richard Marvin Butkus was an American professional football linebacker, sports commentator, and actor. He played football for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1965 to 1973. He was invited to eight Pro Bowls in nine seasons, named a first-team All-Pro five times, and was twice recognized by his peers as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. Butkus was renowned as a fierce tackler and for the relentless effort with which he played. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most intimidating linebackers in professional football history.
Emil Joseph Holub was an American football center and linebacker in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs. He played college football at Texas Technological College.
Lee Roy Jordan is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide under head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, he played 14 years in the NFL for the Cowboys from 1963 to 1976. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.
Zachary Michael Thomas is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. He was selected in the fifth round, 22nd pick, in the 1996 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins, and played for the Dolphins in his first 12 seasons in the NFL, before playing his 13th and final season with the Dallas Cowboys.
Randy Leonard Shannon is an American football coach and former player. He is the linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator for Florida State. Shannon was the head coach at the University of Miami from 2007 to 2010 and has served as an assistant coach for the National Football League (NFL)'s Miami Dolphins and several college teams, including stints as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes, the Florida Gators, and the UCF Knights. He won the Frank Broyles Award as the nation's top collegiate assistant coach while at Miami in 2001.
David Wilcox, nicknamed "the Intimidator", was an American professional football linebacker who played with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1964 through 1974. Named to play in seven Pro Bowls and an All-Pro five times, Wilcox played college football at Boise Junior College and the University of Oregon. Selected by the 49ers in the third round of the 1964 NFL draft, he was also taken by the Houston Oilers in the sixth round of the 1964 AFL draft, but opted for the NFL. Wilcox was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
Maxie Callaway Baughan Jr. was an American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, and the Washington Redskins. Baughan played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Daryl Lamont Smith is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2004 NFL draft. Smith also played for the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Myron Joseph Pottios is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Rams, and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was elected to play in three Pro Bowls.
Kurt Keola Gouveia is an American football coach and former linebacker who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and one season in the XFL. During his career, he played for the Washington Redskins, the Philadelphia Eagles (1995), and the San Diego Chargers (1996–1998). In 2001, he also played for the Las Vegas Outlaws in the now-defunct XFL.
Lonnie Preston Warwick is a former professional American football player. He played 10 seasons in the National Football League, with the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons. He started in Super Bowl IV.
Daniel Joseph Conners was an American professional football linebacker who played 11 seasons for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League (AFL) from 1964 through 1969, and later in the National Football League (NFL) from 1970 through 1974. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and is enshrined in their Hall of Fame.
Bobby Ray Franklin is a former American football player and coach. He played college football as a quarterback at the University of Mississippi and professionally as a safety in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Browns. Franklin served as the head football coach at Northwest Mississippi Community College from 1981 to 2004, leading his teams to NJCAA National Football Championships in 1982 and 1992. He has been named to seven Halls of Fame for his athletic and coaching accomplishments.
Michael Taylor is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1971 and was a consensus All-American in 1971. He played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets in 1972 and 1973. He also played for the Detroit Wheels in the World Football League in 1974.
Derrick Lee Morgan is an American former professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He was selected 16th overall by the Titans in the 2010 NFL draft after playing college football at Georgia Tech.
The 1974 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1974 Big Ten Conference football season. In their sixth year under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled a 10–1 record, outscored opponents 324 to 75, and were ranked #3 in final AP Poll. Michigan won the first ten games of the 1974 season in convincing fashion, including blowout victories over Colorado (31-0), Navy (52-0), Minnesota (49-0), and Purdue (51-0). In the final game of the season, #2 Michigan faced #3 Ohio State. The Wolverines lost by a score of 12-10, as place-kicker Mike Lantry missed a last-minute field goal that would have given Michigan a victory.
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the largest and strongest of the defensive players. Depending on a team's defensive scheme, a defensive tackle may be called upon to fill several different roles. These may include merely holding the point of attack by refusing to be moved, or penetrating a certain gap between offensive linemen to break up a play in the opponent's backfield. If a defensive tackle reads a pass play, his primary responsibility is to pursue the quarterback, or simply knock the pass down at the line if it is within arm's reach. Other responsibilities of the defensive tackle may be to pursue the screen pass or drop into coverage in a zone blitz scheme. In a traditional 4–3 defense, there is no nose tackle. Instead there are a left and a right defensive tackle. Some teams, especially in the National Football League (NFL), have a nose tackle in this scheme, but most of them do not.
Eric-Nathan Marvin Kendricks is an American professional football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins. As a senior in 2014, he won the Butkus Award as the nation's top collegiate linebacker. Kendricks was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft and later played for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Fe'Zahn Tremaine Edmunds is an American professional football linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft.
Christian C. Sam is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Arizona State, in 2017 leading the Pac-12 with 127 tackles, while also leading the Pac-12 with 87 solo tackles. He has been a member of the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Bandits, New Orleans Breakers, and Arlington Renegades.
