Tony Boles

Last updated

Tony Boles
Dallas Cowboys
Born: (1967-12-11) December 11, 1967 (age 56)
Thomasville, Georgia, U.S.
Career information
Position(s) RB/KR
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight196 lb (89 kg)
College Michigan
NFL draft 1991, Round: 11, Pick: 291
Career history
As player
1991 Dallas Cowboys
1992 San Antonio Riders
Honors
Career stats

Tony Boles (born December 11, 1967) is an American former professional football player who was a running back and kick returner who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). After starring in college football for the Michigan Wolverines, where he once led the Big Ten Conference in rushing, he went on to a scandal ridden life. His college football career was ended prematurely due to a knee injury. He has been sentenced to prison multiple times and placed in homes for addicts due to cocaine abuse.

Contents

Early years

Although Boles was born in Thomasville, Georgia and his family settled in Westland, Michigan when he was ten years old. He grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood where he was one of only four African Americans in the entire student body at John Glenn High School. He took a white woman to the high school prom, but was not allowed to enter her home. She had to pick him up for the prom. [1] He also attended Marshall Junior High School.

In high school, he received All-American honors at running back, while setting eight team rushing and four team scoring records, including a career total of 3,139 rushing yards and 38 touchdowns on 495 carries. He led the school to its first playoff appearance. He also practiced basketball.

College career

Boles played for the 1989 Rose Bowl Champions. 2008-1226-Pasadena-008-RoseBowl.jpg
Boles played for the 1989 Rose Bowl Champions.

Boles starred for coach Bo Schembechler at the University of Michigan where he was twice named All-Big Ten on repeat conference champions in 1988 and 1989 and named the team most valuable player for the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. [2] [3] These were Schembechler's final two seasons at Michigan. [4] With Boles, the team won the January 1, 1989 Rose Bowl, but with him on the sidelines they lost the January 1, 1990 contest. [5] Boles shared the 1988 Big Ten rushing title with Anthony Thompson. Boles won the title for conference games only, while Thompson won the title for all games played. [6] After redshirting in 1986, he was limited to 4 games by a hand injury, while playing primarily as a kickoff returner.

As a sophomore in 1988, he rushed for 1,408 yards (1,287 m), finishing second in the Big Ten Conference and fourth in the Nation in rushing, becoming the tenth player in Michigan history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single-season. He also finished second in the conference with a 25.2-yard kickoff return average. Against the University of Wisconsin, he rushed for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 10 carries. Against Wake Forest University, he had a career-high 213 rushing yards on 33 carries.

During the 1989 season, his carries were somewhat limited due to a pinched nerve. Entering the final game he had accumulated 822 yards (752 m) rushing in nine games on 130 rushes, Schembechler was starting to support his Heisman Trophy candidacy:

Michigan tailback Tony Boles can run (can he ever!) but he can't hide from the Heisman Trophy anymore. He's finally got Bo Schembechler touting him for college football's most glamorous honor and that's never happened before. … 'He's (darn) good,' Schembechler said. 'You're (darn) right. He's averaging 6.3 yards (5.8 m) a carry. That's not too shabby.' ... Boles, who last season rushed for 1,408 yards (1,287 m) and nine touchdowns, has 822 yards (752 m) and nine TDs this season. ... 'That's the difference between Tony and some of the other backs we've had here. He was not a big track man. He was baseball and all-sports in high school.' [7]

On November 18, he was seriously injured against the University of Minnesota, when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament. He had arthroscopic surgery on his knee, while Leroy Hoard replaced him for the final 2.5 games. [8] Despite the injury-shortened season, he finished with 839 yards as the team's leading rusher and fifth in the Big Ten Conference. He also posed a big-play threat with runs of 91, 71, 64 and 46 yards as well as an 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. His 91-yard touchdown run against Indiana University at the time was the second longest in school history, and his 85-yard kick return was the fourth longest and fifth kickoff return for a touchdown in Michigan history.

In 1990, Boles attempted a comeback as a wide receiver to no avail and spent his senior season in rehabilitation. [9] Jon Vaughn and Ricky Powers carried the load at tailback in his place. In retrospect, Boles sometimes regretted not having gone to one of the historically black colleges and universities. [1] He dropped out of classes because he says "didn't want to be crutching around campus" and he eventually stopped rehabbing his knee and became irregular with his workouts. [10] After the injury, he dropped out of school and fell onto hard times. [11]

Boles compiled 10 100-yard games while rushing for 2,247 yards (2,055 m) in two years at Michigan. In addition to playing running back, Boles excelled as a kick returner where he accumulated 639 yards (584 m) and a touchdown on 25 returns for a 25.6 yards (23.4 m) per return average. [12]

Professional career

Boles was represented by agent Thom Darden and had been projected as a first round draft pick before his injury. [10] He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the eleventh round (291st overall) of the 1991 NFL draft as part of head coach Jimmy Johnson's rebuilding efforts. [13] He was part of a Cowboy draft class that included three first round selections (Russell Maryland, Alvin Harper, and Kelvin Pritchett), eleven picks in the first four rounds and eighteen overall selections. [14] Boles was assigned rookie initiation duties of washing Emmitt Smith's Pathfinder, but instead of washing the car disappeared with it for two days while bingeing. He eventually tested positive and was released by the Cowboys. [1] The Cowboys placed him on the reserve non-football injury list on August 20. [15]

In 1992, he played with the San Antonio Riders of the World League of American Football for most of the season until he got mixed up in criminal activity. [10] At first, he mysteriously disappeared from practice on a day of random drug testing. [16] Before the disappearance, his World League performance had enabled Boles to get signed as a free agent by the Cowboys in early April 1992, [17] but by June the team released him. [18] He finished with 13 carries for 41 yards.

Personal life

On November 11, 1994, Boles was arrested on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and petty theft and wound up in jail in Naples, Florida. [19]

Boles discovered at age 27 that he had not been reared by his biological father. He soon thereafter started using cocaine. After football ended, he worked various jobs such as construction and working at a grocery store. He then started selling drugs and then using his product. This led him to a series of arrests, prison stays, and homeless periods. In 2003, two former teammates tracked him down and set him up with a job at a car wash. However, Boles fell back into his criminal ways. [10] Boles was convicted of robbing an elderly couple and was sentenced to three to fifteen years in prison. He was released into a work program. He also found himself at the Elmhurst Home, Inc. substance abuse treatment center in 2006. [1] [10] The residential treatment center has since 1972 been used to host about 100 recovering addicts at a time providing Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meeting places, military-style roll calls, daily tasks, and progress logs. [10]

Physically, in 2006, Boles was described as starting to gray, missing two top front teeth and suffering from an arthritic knee. He stood 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and 190 pounds (86 kg; 14 st). He had a 21-year-old daughter and kept in touch with his mother. His stepfather had died in 1994. [10]

Boles was arrested in Ypsilanti, Michigan on September 9, 2007, and pleaded guilty to one count of receiving and concealing stolen property. He was sentenced to serve two to five years in prison for receiving and concealing stolen property in violation of his parole in Washtenaw County Circuit Court. He had previously served six months in prison for unarmed robbery before he was paroled in 2005. Boles' most recent infraction occurred when with an outstanding warrant, he provided a false name to officers investigating why he was blocking traffic with a car they would find out had been stolen from Detroit, Michigan. He had been attempting to converse with sidewalk pedestrians while purchasing drugs. [20] Boles lost his son, Christopher, to a traffic accident at the age of 17 in February 2016. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

Harold E. "Butch" Woolfolk is an American former professional football player who was a running back and kick returner in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines (1978–1981) before playing in the NFL for the New York Giants (1982–1984), Houston Oilers (1985–1986) and Detroit Lions (1987–1988). Woolfolk attended Westfield Senior High School in Westfield, New Jersey. Woolfolk led Michigan in rushing three straight years and set the school record with 3,850 rushing yards while playing for the Wolverines from 1978 to 1981. As a sophomore in 1979, he was the Big Ten Conference scoring champion, and he went on to become a three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection. He had his best season as a senior at Michigan, winning the 1981 Big Ten rushing title and falling just 10 yards short of Rob Lytle's single-season rushing yards record. He was also selected in 1981 as the Most Valuable Player of both the Rose Bowl played January 1, 1981, and the Bluebonnet Bowl played December 31, 1981, as well as the Wolverines' team MVP for the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Morris</span> American gridiron football player (born 1965)

James Walter Morris is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played in the NFL for the Washington Redskins and New England Patriots and for the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thom Darden</span> American football player (born 1950)

Thomas Vincent Darden is an American former professional football player who was a safety and punt returner for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). The Ohio native is memorable for important plays in both the Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry and the Bengals–Browns rivalry.

Jonathan Stewart Vaughn is an American former football running back and return specialist who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons from 1991 to 1994 with the Seattle Seahawks, the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs. In his most productive season, he led the 1992 Patriots in rushing and led the NFL in kickoff returns with a 28.2 yards per return average on twenty returns. Vaughn was the tenth NFL player to accumulate four kickoff-return touchdowns and the second to accumulate kickoff return touchdowns for three teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky Powers</span> American football player and coach (born 1970)

Richard Powers is a former running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns and a former University of Michigan Wolverines football co-captain. In the NFL, he had a brief career with the Browns during their final season before they relocated to become the Baltimore Ravens. His career ended due to being lost in the shuffle when the Browns moved to Baltimore and changed coaching staffs. In college, he set the Michigan football freshman rushing record that stood for fourteen seasons, and as a sophomore was the leading rusher for the team during Desmond Howard's Heisman Trophy-winning season. With the Wolverines, he was a member of three consecutive Big Ten Conference football championship teams. In high school, he was the Parade All-American star running back of the two-time Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) football championship team at Buchtel High School, where he has returned to coach baseball and football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Bell (American football)</span> American football player (born 1953)

Gordon Granville Bell is an American former professional football player who was a running back, kickoff returner and punt returner who played for the Michigan Wolverines from 1973 to 1975, and professionally for the New York Giants (1976-1977) and St. Louis Cardinals (1978) of the National Football League (NFL).

Lawrence Tallmagde Ricks is a former American football player. He played college football as a tailback for the University of Michigan from 1979 to 1982 and was selected as a first-team running back on the 1982 All-Big Ten Conference football team. He also played professional football as a backup running back and kick returner for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL) in 1983 and 1984.

Harlan Charles Huckleby is a former professional American football running back and kick returner who was drafted by the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Over the course of his NFL career he accumulated nearly 2500 all-purpose yards, with over half of that being return yards. He had played for three Michigan Wolverines football Big Ten Conference Champions. He also was a member of the Michigan Wolverines track team for one season where he became a Big Ten Champion and All-American as a member of the 4x400m relay race team. He had also been a four-time Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state champion in track and field. He played high school football at Cass Technical High School, graduating in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1989 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. In its 21st and final season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the team compiled a 10–2 record, won the Big Ten championship, lost to USC in the 1990 Rose Bowl, outscored opponents by a total of 335 to 184, and was ranked No. 7 and No. 8, respectively, in the final AP and UPI polls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1969 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1969 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1969 Big Ten Conference football season. In their first year under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled an 8–3 record, played in the 1970 Rose Bowl, and finished the season ranked No. 9 in the final AP poll and No. 8 in the final UPI poll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1976 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1976 Big Ten Conference football season. In their eighth year under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines finished the season with a 10–2 record, won the Big Ten Conference championship, and played in the 1977 Rose Bowl. The Wolverines outscored their opponents 432 to 95 and ranked first in the country in total offense, scoring offense, and scoring defense. In the final AP and UPI Polls, Michigan was ranked #3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1972 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1972 Big Ten Conference football season. In their fourth season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled a 10–1 record, outscored opponents 264–57, and were ranked sixth in both final polls. Offensive guard Tom Coyle and defensive back Randy Logan were the team captains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1971 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1971 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1971 Big Ten Conference football season. In their third season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled an 11–1 record, outscored opponents 421 to 83, won the Big Ten Conference championship, and were ranked No. 4 in the final UPI Poll and No. 6 in the final AP Poll. Defensive back Frank Gusich and center Guy Murdock were the team captains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 Michigan Wolverines football team</span> American college football season

The 1970 Michigan Wolverines football team was an American football team that represented the University of Michigan in the 1970 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second season under head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines compiled a 9–1 record, tied for second place in the conference, and outscored opponents by a total of 288 to 90. Michigan's victories included intersectional contests with Arizona (20–9), Washington (17–3), and Texas A&M (14–10). The team won its first nine games before losing to rival Ohio State and was ranked No. 7 in the final UPI Poll and No. 9 in the final AP Poll

Michael A. Taylor is a former American football player. He played at the quarterback position for the University of Michigan from 1986 to 1989, the final four years of Bo Schembechler's tenure as the school's head football coach. He was Michigan's starting quarterback in 1988 and 1989 and led the Wolverines to Big Ten Conference championships both years. He finished his career at Michigan as the school's all-time leader in passing efficiency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Michigan Wolverines football in the Elliott years</span>

The promotion of Bump Elliott to head coach in 1959 defined a historical era of the University of Michigan Wolverines football through 1968 when he resigned after that season. Michigan was a member of the Big Ten Conference and played its home games at Michigan Stadium during the Elliott years. During the 10 years in which Elliott served as head football coach, Michigan compiled a record of 51–42–2 (.547) and claimed one Big Ten championship, one Rose Bowl victory, and two Chicago Tribune Silver Football awards for the most valuable player in the Big Ten. However, the Wolverines finished higher than third place in the Big Ten only twice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jehu Chesson</span> Liberian gridiron football player (born 1993)

Jehu Femi Chesson II is a Liberian former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Michigan, and was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft. He owns the school record for most receiving touchdowns in a game, tied with Derrick Alexander with four. His 207 receiving yards against Indiana during the 2015 season also ranks as the third-highest total in school history.

The 1972 Big Ten Conference football season was the 77th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1972 NCAA University Division football season.

The 1974 Big Ten Conference football season was the 79th season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1974 NCAA Division I football season.

The 1976 Big Ten Conference football season was the 81st season of college football played by the member schools of the Big Ten Conference and was a part of the 1976 NCAA Division I football season.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Shelton, Steven Malik (May 2006). "The Nightmare Run of Tony Boles". Afromerica.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  2. ↑ "1988 Football Team". The Regents of the University of Michigan. March 31, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  3. ↑ "1989 Football Team". The Regents of the University of Michigan. March 31, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Michigan's Bowl Game History". The Regents of the University of Michigan. March 25, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Michigan's Bowl History" (PDF). University of Michigan & Host Interactive. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 30, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Big Ten Football: Annual Statistical Champions – Individual" (PDF). The Big Ten Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  7. ↑ "Bo knows Boles can be candidate for Heisman," AP Article, 1989-11-15, retrieved December 15, 2007
  8. ↑ Wallace, William N. (November 26, 1989). "COLLEGE FOOTBALL; Michigan Gains Rose Bowl Slot". The New York Times Company. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  9. ↑ Sisak, Michael (August 26, 1990). "COLLEGE FOOTBALL '90; Lots of Volunteers for the No. 1 Spot". The New York Times Company. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Heuser, John (May 7, 2006). "Boles battles beast on his back" (PDF). reprinted from Ann Arbor News . Associated Press Sports Editors. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 30, 2008. Retrieved February 28, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Tony Boles: A Cautionary Tale". thosewhostaywillbechampions.blogspot.com. May 12, 2006. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  12. ↑ "Michigan Football Statistic Archive Query Page". Regents of the University of Michigan. 2003. Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  13. ↑ "1991 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  14. ↑ "1991 Dallas Cowboys". databaseFootball.com. databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2006. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  15. ↑ "TRANSACTIONS". The New York Times Company. August 21, 1991. Retrieved December 15, 2007.
  16. ↑ Griffin, Tom (April 20, 1992). "RIDERS.GLORY S.A. Rides out a storm to a Glorious goose egg". San Antonio Express-News . Newsbank . Retrieved December 6, 2008.
  17. ↑ Fisher, Mike (April 2, 1992). "Cowboys confirm signing lineman, lose Hendrix to 49ers". Fort Worth Star-Telegram . Newsbank . Retrieved December 6, 2008.
  18. ↑ Cowlishaw, Tim (June 14, 1992). "Cowboy's Roster: Whose Number Is Up? - Uncertainty falls on offensive line, defense". The Dallas Morning News . Newsbank . Retrieved December 6, 2008.
  19. ↑ Ward, Julie (November 22, 1994). "Martina, Chris in tune to make return in 1995". USA Today . Newsbank . Retrieved December 6, 2008.
  20. ↑ Aisner, Art (November 3, 2007). "Ex-U-M football star Boles to serve 2-5 years in prison". Ann Arbor News. Michigan Live LLC. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  21. ↑ Camp, Terry (April 8, 2016). "Parents of teen killed in accident think investigation should have been more thorough". WJRT-TV. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2016.

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.