Jo-Lonn Dunbar

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Jo-Lonn Dunbar
Jo-Lonn Dunbar Saints victory parade.jpg
Dunbar at the 2010 Saints victory parade
No. 56, 58, 54
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1985-03-13) March 13, 1985 (age 40)
Syracuse, New York, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school: Syracuse (NY) Corcoran
College: Boston College
NFL draft: 2008: undrafted
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:360
Sacks:6.5
Forced fumbles:4
Fumble recoveries:1
Interceptions:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jo-Lonn D. Dunbar (born March 13, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He also played for the St. Louis Rams. He played college football at Boston College.

Contents

Early life

Dunbar attended Corcoran High School in Syracuse, New York [1] where he played running back and linebacker, under the head coach Leo Cosgrove. He earned All-State Class AA first-team honors as a senior running back and second-team All-State as a junior, when he competed as a linebacker. He added All-American accolades from Super Prep and was an All-East choice by Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report. [2]

College career

During his senior year at Boston College, Dunbar received recognition by becoming the fourth player in NCAA history to return two fumbles for touchdowns in a single game. In 2006, he was named MVP of the 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl; he recovered 3 fumbles, returning two for touchdowns. At the end of his college career, he registered 262 tackles (156 solo) with 2.5 sacks for -12 yards and 21.5 stops for losses of 58 yards. He caused three fumbles and deflected seven passes. He gained 45 yards on two of interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.

Professional career

New Orleans Saints (first stint)

During his first season with the Saints, Dunbar made a brief trip into the NFL spotlight when he made an impressive block to allow Reggie Bush to return a punt for a touchdown on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings.

Dunbar continued to play backup linebacker and special teams in the 2009 season. He suffered a hamstring injury in the Saints' December 6, 2009 game against the Washington Redskins, and was placed on the injured reserve list on December 8. The Saints went on to win Super Bowl XLIV. [3]

St. Louis Rams

Dunbar signed with the St. Louis Rams on April 2, 2012. [4]

In Week 1 of the 2012 season against the Detroit Lions, Dunbar recorded his first career interception, returning it 42 yards. He finished his first season with the Rams with 114 combined tackles, 4.5 sacks and two interceptions which were all career highs for him at the time. [5]

On August 14, 2013, the NFL announced that Dunbar had violated the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances and he will be suspended for the first four games of the 2013 regular season. [6] He was later released from the team.

Dunbar was re-signed by the Rams on October 1, 2013. [7]

In 2015, Dunbar found himself further down on the Rams depth chart, and was not activated for any games. He was released by the team on October 27, 2015. [8]

New Orleans Saints (second stint)

After he was released by St. Louis, the Saints signed Dunbar on October 30, 2015 to provide depth in light of injuries to starting linebackers Dannell Ellerbe and David Hawthorne. [8] On November 23, 2015, he was waived by the team. [9]

NFL career statistics

Legend
BoldCareer high

Regular season

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2008 NOR 152201730.00000020000
2009 NOR 93201370.00000000000
2010 NOR 138403281.05000020100
2011 NOR 16147957221.04000062000
2012 STL 161611591244.51626304252000
2013 STL 1210393360.04000000000
2014 STL 1610362970.04000000000
2015 NOR 3111560.01000000000
10064360277836.534263042154100

Playoffs

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2010 NOR 107430.00000000000
2011 NOR 214400.01000000000
3111830.01000000000

References

  1. Kirst, Sean (April 16, 2010). "Jo-Lonn Dunbar, a football hero, sees far beyond the game". Syracuse.com . Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  2. "2008 NFL Draft Bio". NFL.com .
  3. "Saints Sign CB Marcus McCauley". New Orleans Saints. December 8, 2009. Archived from the original on December 13, 2009.
  4. Alper, Josh (April 2, 2012). "Jo-Lonn Dunbar signs with Rams". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  5. "Jo-Lonn Dunbar 2012 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  6. Breech, John (August 14, 2013). "Rams starting LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar suspended for PED violation". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  7. Bishop, Tyler (October 2, 2013). "Dunbar returns; Starks leaves". Turf Show Times. SB Nation. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  8. 1 2 Erickson, Joel A. (November 4, 2015). "Return to New Orleans is 'pretty strange' for Saints linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar". The Advocate. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  9. Underhill, Nick; Erickson, Joel A. (December 1, 2015). "Saints bring in Phillip Hunt, release Jo-Lonn Dunbar". The Advocate. Retrieved October 15, 2023.