No. 53 | |||||||||
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Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone | November 7, 1959||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Cristóbal (CZ) | ||||||||
College: | New Mexico State | ||||||||
NFL draft: | 1984 / round: 7 / pick: 177 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Leonardo Barker (born November 7, 1959) is a Panamanian former professional football player who was the first person born in Panama to play in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1984 until 1991. He played varsity football at Rainbow City/Cristobal in the Panama Canal Zone, then an unincorporated territory of the United States. From 2008 to 2010, he was the head coach of the Hornets of Roswell High School. [1] He lives in Roswell, Georgia, with his family, teaches Spanish and linebacker coach for Blessed Trinity Catholic High School.
Barker was a member of the New Mexico State University Aggies football team from 1979 to 1983. He was a starting (linebacker) every year he played and was second on the team in tackles his junior and senior seasons. At New Mexico State, Barker racked up 378 career tackles; enough to place him number four on the all-time Aggie list. In 2003, Leo Barker was inducted into the New Mexico State University Intercollegiate Athletic Hall of Fame.
He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the NFL draft in 1983. He played for the Bengals until 1992, when he retired. Barker was an integral part of the Bengals’ nickel-package defense. In 1989, Barker helped lead them to a league best 12-4 record and an appearance in Super Bowl XXIII.
William Earl Bergey is an American former football linebacker who played professionally for 12 seasons, most notably with the Philadelphia Eagles of National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals of the American Football League (AFL) in 1969, the year before the AFL–NFL merger was completed, and continued to play with the Bengals in the NFL until 1973. Bergey subsequently signed with the Eagles the following year, where he played seven seasons until retiring in 1981.
Joseph Eugene Porter Sr. is an American professional football coach and former player. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado State Rams and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1999 NFL draft. A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Porter won Super Bowl XL with the Steelers and was also a member of the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals. The Steelers drafted his son, Joey Porter Jr., with the thirty-second overall selection of the 2023 NFL draft.
Dhani Makalani Jones is a former American football linebacker who played for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, earning All-Big Ten honors for three straight seasons. He was selected by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft and played for the team for four seasons. Jones also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals. In addition to his football career, Jones hosted the Travel Channel series Dhani Tackles the Globe and the VH1 show Ton of Cash. Jones also was on the CNBC series Adventure Capitalists.
Barrett James Ruud is an American football coach who serves as inside linebackers coach for the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2005 NFL draft and also played for the Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints and Houston Texans. He played college football at Nebraska, where he was the inside linebackers coach from 2018 to 2022.
Odell Lamar Thurman is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2005 NFL draft.
Frostee Lynn Rucker is an American former professional football player who was a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans, and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2006 NFL draft. Rucker has also played for the Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, and Oakland Raiders.
Aaron James Hawk is an American sports analyst and former professional football linebacker who played for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Green Bay Packers fifth overall in the 2006 NFL draft and he later won Super Bowl XLV with the team. He was also a member of the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he earned All-American honors twice and won the Lombardi Award as a senior. He won the BCS National Championship Game with the Buckeyes as a freshman.
Gary Phillip Reasons is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Northwestern State Demons from 1980 to 1983 and was the first player chosen as a first-team Division I-AA All-America team in three consecutive years. He also played professional football in the NFL for the New York Giants (1984–1991) and Cincinnati Bengals (1992). He played on the Giants teams that won Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV. Reasons later worked as a college football television analyst and sideline reporter for ABC/ESPN and Fox Sports Southwest. He has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
Abdul Hodge is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the tight ends coach at Iowa, where he played as a 3-time all Big-Ten linebacker. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2006 NFL draft.
Anthony Schlegel is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). Schlegel played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes after transferring from the United States Air Force Academy and was selected by the New York Jets in the third round of the 2006 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL and the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League (UFL).
Leon E'srom Williams is a former American football linebacker who played for the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Browns in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft. Williams was also a member of the New York Sentinels of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at the University of Miami.
Carl August Zander Jr is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1985 to 1991. Selected in the second round of the 1985 NFL draft, he was a member of the Bengals' starting lineup in Super Bowl XXIII. He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, where he was a captain of the Vols' 1984 squad.
Steven Eric Tovar is an American former football player and coach. He played as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, the San Diego Chargers and the Carolina Panthers. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected by the Bengals in the third round of the 1993 NFL draft.
Darryl Tyger Blackstock is an American college football coach and former linebacker. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft. He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders and Florida Tuskers. He is currently the special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at William & Mary.
The Chicago Catholic League (CCL) is a high school athletic conference based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. All of the schools are part of the Illinois High School Association, the governing body for Illinois scholastic sports. While some of the schools are coeducational institutions, the conference only supports athletics for male teams.
James Michael LeClair was an American football player and coach. He played as a linebacker for 12 seasons, from 1972 to 1983, in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cincinnati Bengals and two seasons, from 1984 to 1985, in the United States Football League (USFL) with the New Jersey Generals. LeClair played college football for the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles and the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. He served as the head football coach at Mayville State University, from 1986 to 1988. LeClair was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1999.
Anthony Ray Barker is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Kansas before transferring to Rice University following his sophomore year. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the 10th round, 280th overall selection, of the 1992 NFL draft. He also briefly played for the Green Bay Packers.
Ronald Bernard Simpkins is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1976 to 1979. He became Michigan's all-time career tackle leader in 1979 and was a consensus first-team selection for the 1979 College Football All-America Team. He later played in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Green Bay Packers (1988).
Canute J. Curtis is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for six seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL) during the 1990s and early 2000s. He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers, earning consensus All-American honors in 1996. He was selected in the 1997 NFL draft, and played professionally for the Cincinnati Bengals. After his playing career, Curtis was a defensive line coach at Towson University.
Bennett Lee Needham is a former American football linebacker. He played college football for the University of Michigan from 1978 to 1979 and in 1981 and professional football in the United States Football League (USFL) for the Boston/New Orleans/Portland Breakers from 1983 to 1985. He was selected by the Sporting News as a first-team USFL All-League player in 1983.