Thomas Tapeh

Last updated

Thomas Tapeh
No. 41, 38, 44
Position: Fullback
Personal information
Born: (1980-03-28) 28 March 1980 (age 44)
Monrovia, Liberia
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:243 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school: St. Paul (MN) Johnson
College: Minnesota
NFL draft: 2004  / Round: 5 / Pick: 162
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts:22
Rushing yards:69
Receptions:27
Receiving yards:157
Receiving touchdowns:1
Player stats at PFR

Thomas Teah Tapeh (pronounced TUH-PEH) (born March 28, 1980) is a Liberian former American football fullback. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round in the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football at Minnesota. Tapeh also played for the Minnesota Vikings.

Contents

Early and personal life

Tapeh grew up playing soccer in Liberia before his family moved to the Twin Cities when he was nine years old. He attended Saint Paul Johnson High School. He is the only player to score a touchdown in the Metrodome as a high schooler (in a Johnson-Harding High School game), as a collegiate athlete (for the Gophers), and as a professional athlete in the NFL (as an Eagle).

Tapeh is a devout Christian, with his faith stemming from a Christian woman who stopped his mother from having an abortion. [1] Tapeh is active in his church as a mentor and volunteer, and has spoken publicly about his faith. He is married and has two children.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

Tapeh was selected by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL draft. [2] With Jon Ritchie already the starting full back, Tapeh saw playing time as the third string running back. In week 14, Tapeh suffered a hip injury which caused him to miss the rest of 2004 and all of 2005. [3]

Tapeh returned from injury in 2006, and won the starting full back job from Josh Parry in training camp. [4] He played in all 16 regular season games for the Eagles, as well as their two playoff games that season.

In 2007, Tapeh again played full back in all 16 games for the Eagles, despite battling a knee injury. Statistically, Brian Westbrook's best two seasons in rushing yards, receiving yards, yards-per-carry, yards-per-reception and total touchdowns were both seasons Tapeh started at full back.

Minnesota Vikings

On 29 February 2008 (the first day of free agency), Tapeh signed a five-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings. Vikings head coach Brad Childress, who worked with Tapeh as the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia, envisioned a long-term pairing between Tapeh and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Adrian Peterson. [5] However, Tapeh's knee injury from the prior season resurfaced, and he was placed on injured reserve after two games. [6] Though he could have fought to be paid his $1.855 million (~$2.58 million in 2023) signing bonus in full, Tapeh agreed to an injury settlement and was released on 16 October 2008 [7] effectively ending his NFL career.

Coaching career

Tapeh took over as head coach of the Woodrow Wilson High School football team in 2012. [8] Woodrow Wilson High School, whose mascot is the Tiger, is located in Camden, New Jersey.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Kramer</span> American football player (born 1955)

Thomas Francis Kramer is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1977 to 1990. He played college football for the Rice Owls and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1977 NFL Draft after being named MVP of the 1977 Senior Bowl. He was inducted with the 2012 class into the College Football Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rich Gannon</span> American football player (born 1965)

Richard Joseph Gannon is an American former football quarterback who played 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Subsequently, he was a sports commentator with CBS Sports for 16 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cris Carter</span> American football player (born 1965)

Graduel Christopher Darwin Carter is an American former football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles (1987–1989), the Minnesota Vikings (1990–2001) and the Miami Dolphins (2002). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lito Sheppard</span> American football player and coach (born 1981)

Lito Decorian Sheppard is an American football coach and former player. During his playing career as cornerback, he played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft after playing college football for the Florida Gators. He played for the Eagles for seven seasons, and was selected to the Pro Bowl twice. He also played for the NFL's New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, and Oakland Raiders. As a coach, he was the safeties coach for the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Parry</span> American football player (born 1978)

Joshua David Parry is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Jose State Spartans. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Dugan</span> American football player (born 1981)

Jeffery Stephen Dugan is a former American football tight end and fullback. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in seventh round of 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Maryland. Before college Dugan attended Central Catholic High School, where NFL quarterbacks Dan Marino and Marc Bulger attended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koy Detmer</span> American football player (born 1973)

Koy Dennis Detmer is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes. Detmer was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 1997 NFL draft. He is the younger brother of former NFL quarterback Ty Detmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Peelle</span> American football player and coach (born 1979)

Justin Morris Peelle is a former American football tight end and coach who is the tight ends coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL).

Leroy J. Hoard is an American former football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons for the Cleveland Browns from 1990 to 1995 and the Minnesota Vikings from 1996 to 1999. He also played briefly for the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens during the 1996 NFL season. In a 10-year NFL career, Hoard appeared in 144 games, totaled 3,964 rushing yards and 2,430 receiving yards and scored 51 touchdowns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidney Rice</span> American football player (born 1986)

Sidney Raynard Rice is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Rice played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owen Schmitt</span> American football player (born 1985)

Owen Schmitt is a former American football fullback. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia University. Before transferring to the Mountaineers he played at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Charles Evans was an American football fullback who played for the Minnesota Vikings and the Baltimore Ravens. He retired after the 2000 NFL season after playing in the National Football League (NFL) for eight years.

Theodore Curtis Dean is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings. Dean played college football at Wichita State University.

Raymond Coy Poage Jr. was an American football tight end, wide receiver and fullback who played for the Texas Longhorns in college and for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons.

Derek Wayne Tennell is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, and Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at UCLA. With Dallas, he beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Loadholt</span> American football player (born 1986)

Philip Loadholt Jr. is a former American football offensive tackle and the current offensive line coach for the Colorado Buffaloes. He played college football at Oklahoma, and played for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) from 2009 until his retirement in 2015. Prior to joining Colorado’s coaching staff, he was an offensive analyst for Oklahoma from 2022–23. He also spent time as a player personnel analyst for Ole Miss (2020–21) and UCF (2017).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan Hicks</span> American football player (born 1992)

Jordan Hicks is an American football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he won a Super Bowl ring in 2018, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns.

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

Zachary Adam Ertz is an American football tight end for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2012 before being selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. Ertz played nine seasons with the Eagles, making three Pro Bowls and winning Super Bowl LII with them. He holds the NFL record for most receptions in a season by a tight end and has also been a member of the Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions. His wife Julie is a former member of the United States women's national soccer team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jalen Reagor</span> American football player (born 1999)

Jalen Armand Reagor is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at TCU and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. He has also played for the Minnesota Vikings.

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

Donovan Wilson is an American football safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M.

References

  1. "Assemblies of God (USA) Official Web Site | AG". www.ag.org. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  2. "2004 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  3. Les Bowen. "Reid: T.O. won't be distraction". Philly.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2005. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  4. "Thomas Tapeh will be Eagles starting fullback this season". Rotoworld. NBC. 3 September 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  5. "Experience Figures to Help A.P. | David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners". shamasportsheadliners.com. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  6. "Blame to go around on Tapeh affair". ESPN.com. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  7. "' + title + ' - ' + basename(imgurl) + '(' + w + 'x' + h +')". Archived from the original on 20 October 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  8. Marc, Narducci. "Former Eagle to coach Woodrow Wilson". philly.com. Philadelphia Media Network. Retrieved 3 May 2013.