Shafer Suggs

Last updated
Shafer Suggs
No. 23
Position: Safety
Personal information
Born: (1953-04-28) April 28, 1953 (age 70)
Elkhart, Indiana, U.S.
Career information
High school: Elkhart (IN)
College: Ball State
NFL draft: 1976  / Round: 2 / Pick: 33
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions:7
INT yards:114
Touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com

Shafer Suggs (born April 28, 1953) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 1976 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ball State.

Contents

Suggs also played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Montreal Alouettes, and New Jersey Generals.

Early years

Suggs played high school football at Elkhart High School. While there he was an All-State defensive back. Aside from football, Suggs lettered in basketball and track.

College career

Suggs played college football at Ball State University. While there he set the school record for interceptions in a season with 8 in 1975 and career interceptions with 14. As a senior, he was the Mid-American Conference defensive player of the year and was an AP second team All-American. Suggs was also a three-year starter on the basketball team.

Professional career

New York Jets

Suggs was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 1976 NFL Draft. As a rookie in 1976 Suggs started 10 games at cornerback, recording one interception. During his second year he moved to strong safety, where he started eight of nine games. He missed seven games due to a shoulder separation he suffered in car accident on his way to training camp. In 1978 Suggs returned from injuries to start all 16 games at strong safety for the Jets, leading the team in tackles. In 1979 Suggs started 15 of 16 games at strong safety, recording three interceptions. During the season, he scored his first and only NFL touchdown, returning an interception 32 yards, in a Monday Night Football game against the Minnesota Vikings. In 1980 Suggs started four games for the Jets before suffering an injury.

Cincinnati Bengals

Suggs was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals during the 1980 season. Suggs played the final four games for the Bengals with no starts.

Montreal Alouettes and New Jersey Generals

After not being able to get a job in the NFL, Suggs played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League in 1981 and the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League in 1983.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrell Suggs</span> American football player (born 1982)

Terrell Raymonn Suggs, nicknamed "T-Sizzle", is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 10th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, and is the franchise's all-time leader in sacks. He also played for the Arizona Cardinals and the Kansas City Chiefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Kaesviharn</span> American football player (born 1976)

Kevin Robert Kaesviharn is a former American football safety. He was signed by the Iowa Barnstormers as a street free agent in 1998. He played college football at Augustana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Riley</span> American football player (1947–2020)

Kenneth Jerome Riley was an American professional football player who was a cornerback. He spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals, first in the American Football League (AFL) in 1969 and then the National Football League (NFL) from 1970 through 1983. Riley recorded 65 interceptions in his career, which was the fourth most in NFL history at the time of his retirement behind three members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dick Lane, Emlen Tunnell, and Paul Krause. But despite his accomplishments, he was never an exceptionally well known or popular player. Riley was never once selected to play in the AFL All-Star Game or the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, but in 2023, after decades of waiting, was posthumously elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Lynch (American football)</span> American football player and executive (born 1971)

John Terrence Lynch Jr. is an American football executive and former safety who is the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft, later winning Super Bowl XXXVII with them. Lynch also spent four seasons with the Denver Broncos before retiring in 2008 and working as a color commentator for NFL on Fox games until being named general manager of the 49ers in 2017. He made nine Pro Bowls during his career and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

Artrell Hawkins, Jr. is a former American football player of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Cincinnati.

Cris Edward Dishman is an American football coach and former cornerback. He is the 18th head football coach for Texas Southern University, a position he has held since 2024. He played for the Houston Oilers, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Washington Redskins during his thirteen-year career from 1988 to 2000 in the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Jones (safety)</span> American football player (born 1982)

Sean Jones is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft and also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at Georgia.

Kyries Hebert is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker and safety. He was originally signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Louisiana-Lafayette. In the NFL Hebert has been a member of the Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals. In the CFL he has also been a member Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Montreal Alouettes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reggie Nelson</span> American football player (born 1983)

Reggie Lee Nelson is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, winning a national championship and earning consensus All-American honors. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft and also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland Raiders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Cincinnati Bengals</span>

The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football franchise in the National Football League. Since starting off as an expansion franchise in the American Football League in 1968, they have appeared in three Super Bowls, but lost all three times, twice to the San Francisco 49ers and once to the Los Angeles Rams.

This article details the history of the Baltimore Ravens, a professional American football team which plays in the National Football League. The Ravens were formed to fill in the void left by Baltimore's previous team, the Colts, who had controversially moved to Indianapolis. Ironically, the Ravens' formation necessitated the relocation of the Cleveland Browns' players and personnel, leaving Cleveland without a team until the Browns resumed operations as an expansion team three years later. Since then the Ravens have usually featured a strong defense and have won two Super Bowl championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barron Miles</span> American football player and coach (born 1972)

Barron Miles is a former professional Canadian football player who played for 12 years in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is the defensive coordinator for the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL. Miles finished his career tied for second all-time in career interceptions with 66 and as the all-time leader in blocked kicks with 13. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Willy</span> American gridiron football player (born 1986)

Drew Willy is an American former professional Canadian football quarterback. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Buffalo. Willy has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Locomotives, New York Jets, San Diego Chargers, and most notably the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Argonauts, and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Skelton (American football)</span> American gridiron football player (born 1988)

John Michael Skelton is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Fordham Rams and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans and Montreal Alouettes.

Lee Anthony Heath Jr. is a former American football cornerback. Heath was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2011 in the NFL, where he played for several years before playing Canadian football for the final 3 years of his career. He played college football for Jacksonville State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shawn Williams (American football)</span> American football player (born 1991)

Shawn Williams is a former American football safety. He played college football at Georgia and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mario Alford</span> American gridiron football player (born 1992)

Mario Alford is an American professional football wide receiver for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers, earning first-team All-American honors in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Clark</span> American football player (born 1995)

Charles Edward Clark Jr. is an American football safety for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Virginia Tech. Clark was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Scott (American football)</span> American football player (born 1995)

Nicholas Michael Scott is an American football safety for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sauce Gardner</span> American football player (born 2000)

Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner is an American football cornerback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Cincinnati and was selected fourth overall by the Jets in the 2022 NFL Draft. Gardner was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and was the first rookie cornerback since Ronnie Lott in 1981 to be named first-team All-Pro.