John Gillen (American football)

Last updated

John Gillen
No. 53, 54, 55, 57
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1958-11-05) November 5, 1958 (age 65)
Arlington Heights, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:227 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school: St. Viator
(Arlington Heights, Illinois)
College: Illinois
NFL draft: 1981  / Round: 5 / Pick: 116
Career history
Player stats at PFR

John Francis Gillen Sr. [1] (born November 5, 1958) is a former American football linebacker who played with the St. Louis Cardinals and the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL), as well as the Chicago Blitz and the Arizona Outlaws of the United States Football League (USFL). [2] He played college football at Illinois. [3]

Contents

Early life

Gillen was born in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and attended St. Viator High School, [3] where he lettered in football, basketball, and track. He was the MVP of his high school football team and was honored as an all-state linebacker. He graduated from the school in 1977. [4]

College years

From 1977 to 1981, Gillen was a starter at middle linebacker for the Illinois Fighting Illini. [5] He led the team in tackles for three years and was the defensive captain for two. In 1980, he received All-Big Ten honors and was voted the most valuable defensive player at Illinois. He played in the 1981 Senior Bowl. [4]

Professional football career

St. Louis Cardinals

Gillen was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth round of the 1981 NFL draft, with the 116th pick overall. During the 1981 season, Gillen played in all 16 games. [3]

He was injured before the 1982 season and was placed on injured reserve in September 1982. [6] By December, he was able to play again, and appeared in the team's last four regular season games as well as their first and only playoff game, a 41–16 loss to the Green Bay Packers. [7]

New England Patriots

Gillen played eight games with the New England Patriots in 1983. [3] His last appearance in an NFL game was a November 20, 1983 home game against the Cleveland Browns, in which the Patriots were shut out 30–0. [8]

Chicago Blitz

In 1984, Gillen headed to the United States Football League, where he played the rest of his professional career. He joined the Chicago Blitz that year, where he played middle linebacker and was used once on a kickoff return for 11 yards. [5]

Arizona Outlaws

In 1985, Gillen played with the USFL's Arizona Outlaws, alongside his younger brother Ken. [5] [9]

Personal life

Gillen lives in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, with his wife, Wendy, and three children, John, Conor, and Grace. [4] Both of his sons played college football: John for the Wisconsin Badgers [1] and Conor for the Fighting Illini. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Football League</span> American football league (1983–1986)

The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be played in the autumn/winter, directly competing against the long-established National Football League (NFL). However, the USFL ceased operations before that season was scheduled to begin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Breakers</span> Former American football team based out of New Orleans, Louisiana and Portland, Oregon

The Portland Breakers were an American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL) in the mid-1980s. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, the franchise was previously in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Breakers and New Orleans, Louisiana as the New Orleans Breakers.

The Philadelphia / Baltimore Stars were a professional American football team which played in the United States Football League (USFL) in the mid-1980s. Owned by real-estate magnate Myles Tanenbaum, they were the short-lived league's dominant team, playing in all three championship games and winning the latter two. They played their first two seasons in Philadelphia as the Philadelphia Stars before relocating to Baltimore, where they played as the Baltimore Stars for the USFL's final season. Coached by Jim Mora, the Stars won a league-best 41 regular season games and 7 playoff games.

The Arizona Wranglers were a professional American football team in the United States Football League (USFL) that existed from late 1982 to mid-1985. They played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.

Charles Carroll "Tony" Eason IV is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini. Taken 15th overall by the Patriots in the 1983 NFL Draft, he was one of the six quarterbacks selected during the first round. Eason served as New England's primary starter from 1984 to 1986, where he helped the team make their Super Bowl debut in Super Bowl XX. Competing as the starter with Steve Grogan throughout his Patriots tenure, Eason was released during the 1989 season. He spent his final two seasons as a backup with the New York Jets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Thayer</span> American football player and announcer (born 1961)

Thomas Allen Thayer is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) and United States Football League (USFL). He played in the NFL for the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins, and won a Super Bowl as a member of the 1985 Chicago Bears. Prior to his NFL career, Thayer played in the USFL for the Chicago Blitz, Arizona Wranglers and the Arizona Outlaws from 1983 to 1985. He is currently the color commentator on WMVP for Chicago Bears broadcasts.

Miki "Junior" Ah You is a former college and professional Canadian and American football player who played primarily at the defensive end position. Ah You enjoyed most of his professional career success with the Canadian Football League (CFL) Montreal Alouettes, from 1972 to 1981, and was a former collegiate standout at Arizona State University. Ah You's jersey #77 is one of ten retired by the Alouettes, and he was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1997. Ah You is also a member of the Arizona State Sports Hall of Fame and the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame. In 2006, Ah You was voted to the Honour Roll of the CFL's Top 50 players of the league's modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.

Gregory Paul Landry is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1981, and again in 1984. He played for the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Colts and Chicago Bears. He played college football at Massachusetts from 1965–1967. He became an assistant coach after his playing career.

Robert Herber Parsons was an American football punter and tight end who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Chicago Bears from 1972 to 1983 and later played with the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League (USFL).

Andrew J. Cannavino is a former American football linebacker. He played for the University of Michigan from 1977 to 1980. He became one of the leading tacklers in Michigan history, played in the 1981 Rose Bowl and was the only unanimous selection as a first-team player on the 1980 Associated Press All-Big Ten football team. He later played professional football in the USFL from 1983 to 1984 for the Michigan Panthers and Chicago Blitz.

Perry Edmond Hartnett is an American former football guard. He played college football for the SMU Mustangs and later had stints in the National Football League (NFL) and United States Football League (USFL). He was a member of the Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers in the NFL, while being with the Chicago Blitz and Baltimore Stars in the USFL. Hartnett played 12 NFL games, five as a starter, in addition to 16 USFL games in his career.

Paul Bergmann is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the United States Football League (USFL) and National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitney Mercilus</span> American football player (born 1990)

Whitney Mercilus is an American former football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the Houston Texans. He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini, where he won the Ted Hendricks Award and the Bill Willis Trophy, and was selected by the Texans in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft. Mercilus spent the entirety of his first nine seasons with Houston, earning a second-team All-Pro selection in 2016. After being released by the Texans early into the 2021 season, he last played for the Green Bay Packers.

Ron Reeves is a former American football quarterback who played two seasons in the United States Football League (USFL) with the Denver Gold, Chicago Blitz and New Jersey Generals. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the tenth round of the 1982 NFL draft. He played college football at Texas Tech University and attended Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas. Reeves was also a member of the Calgary Stampeders and Montreal Concordes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Matt Bradley was an American football linebacker who played one season in the United States Football League (USFL) with the Philadelphia Stars and Boston Breakers. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the ninth round of the 1982 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State University.

Frank Toto'a Manumaleuna was an American football linebacker who played three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the 1979 NFL Draft. He first enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles before transferring to De Anza College and lastly San José State University. Manumaleuna attended Phineas Banning High School in Los Angeles, California. He was also a member of the Oakland Invaders and Portland Breakers of the United States Football League (USFL). Manumaleuna died on June 1, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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.

Case deBruijn is a Dutch former American football punter and placekicker. He played one game in the National Football League (NFL) for the Kansas City Chiefs as well as two seasons in the United States Football League (USFL) for the Oklahoma/Arizona Outlaws. He played college football at Idaho State and was drafted in the eighth round of the 1982 NFL draft by the Chiefs.

Earnest Adams is a former American football linebacker who primarily played in the United States Football League for the Pittsburgh Maulers and Portland Breakers, but was also a replacement player during the 1987 NFL strike for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League, and played for the Pittsburgh Gladiators of the Arena Football League. He played college football at Illinois.

John Steven Stadnik is a former American football offensive lineman. He played college football for the Western Illinois Leathernecks and later played for the Arizona Wranglers / Outlaws of the United States Football League (USFL) and the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL).

References

  1. 1 2 "Through the tunnel: senior has fond memories". Badger247. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  2. ↑ "John Gillen football Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "John Gillen Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "East Suburban Catholic Conference Hall of Fame Program" (PDF).
  5. 1 2 3 "John Gillen NFL Stats - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  6. ↑ "For the Record". The Washington Post. September 8, 1982.
  7. ↑ "John Gillen 1982 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  8. ↑ "John Gillen 1983 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Ken Gillen NFL Stats - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Conor Gillen - 2008 - Football". University of Illinois Athletics. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
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.