Will Wolford

Last updated

Will Wolford
No. 67, 69, 73, 77
Position: Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1964-05-18) May 18, 1964 (age 60)
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:294 lb (133 kg)
Career information
High school: St. Xavier (Louisville)
College: Vanderbilt
NFL draft: 1986  / round: 1 / pick: 20
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:191
Games started:191
Fumble recoveries:3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

William Charles Wolford (born May 18, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. [1] He played college football for the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Contents

Playing career

Wolford attended St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky and played college football at Vanderbilt University, where he was a third-team All-America selection as a senior. [2]

He was the Bills' first-round pick in the 1986 NFL draft, [3] and played for them from 1986 to 1992, including AFC championships (and Super Bowl losses) in his last three years in Buffalo. Wolford signed as a free agent with the Colts in 1993, and finally joined the Steelers from 1996 to 1998. He was named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster in 1990, 1992, and 1995. [1]

Post-playing career

In 2002, he became the majority owner/operator of the Arena Football 2's Louisville Fire. [4]

Wolford took over color analyst duties for the Colts in the 2007 season, working alongside longtime Colts voice Bob Lamey. Wolford was also co-host of The Bob and Will Show, working alongside Bob Valvano on WQKC, an all-sports station in Louisville, until that station changed formats in November 2008.

In 2013, Wolford became the head football coach at his alma mater of St. Xavier High, replacing the retiring Mike Glaser. On December 20, 2017, he announced his retirement. [5]

Personal life

Wolford's wife, Mary Jude Wolford, is a career lawyer who was elected Nov. 8, 2022, to be the 15th Division District Court Judge in Kentucky. She had been a former assistant district attorney in Jefferson County. She and Wolford have been married since 1988. They have three adult daughters.

Wolford's nephew, John Wolford, is a quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars and played for the Arizona Hotshots in the Alliance of American Football. [6] [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Unitas</span> American football player (1933–2002)

John Constantine Unitas was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Colts. Nicknamed "Johnny U" and "the Golden Arm", Unitas was considered the prototype of the modern era marquee quarterback and is regarded as one of the greatest NFL players of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Vinatieri</span> American football player (born 1972)

Adam Matthew Vinatieri is an American former professional football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Vinatieri is the NFL's all-time leading scorer at 2,673 points, in addition to holding the NFL records for field goals made (599), postseason points (238), and overtime field goals made (12). He is considered one of the greatest placekickers of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Cowher</span> American football player, coach, and analyst (born 1957)

William Laird Cowher is an American sports analyst, former professional football player and coach. Following a six-year playing career as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), he served as a head coach in the NFL for 15 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He began his coaching career as an assistant under Marty Schottenheimer for the Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs, serving as the latter's defensive coordinator from 1989 to 1991. In 1992, Cowher was named head coach of the Steelers, whom he led until his retirement following the 2006 season. After retiring, he joined The NFL Today as a studio analyst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Clayton (American football, born 1961)</span> American football player (born 1961)

Mark Gregory Clayton is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League, primarily with the Miami Dolphins. He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected in the eighth round of the 1983 NFL draft. He played with the Dolphins until 1992, earning five Pro Bowl and three second-team All-Pro selections. He finished his career playing one season with the Green Bay Packers in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AFC Championship Game</span> Semifinal championship football game in the NFL

The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semifinal playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. The game is played on the last Sunday in January by the two remaining playoff teams, following the AFC postseason's first two rounds. The AFC champion then advances to face the winner of the NFC Championship Game in the Super Bowl.

The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in the division: the Buffalo Bills, the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots, and the New York Jets. All four members of the AFC East were previously members of the Eastern Division of the American Football League (AFL).

James Kent Hull was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) and United States Football League (USFL), more precisely a center for the New Jersey Generals of the USFL and Buffalo Bills of the NFL.

The 1992 NFL season was the 73rd regular season of the National Football League (NFL). Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, the New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins game that was scheduled for September 6 at Joe Robbie Stadium was rescheduled to October 18. Both teams originally had that weekend off. This marked the first time since the 1966 NFL season and the AFL seasons of 1966 and 1967 that there were byes in week 1.

Arthur Barry Still is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats, earning unanimous All-American honors in 1977. He played professionally for the Kansas City Chiefs (1978–1987) and the Buffalo Bills (1988–1989).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Marchibroda</span> American football player and coach (1931–2016)

Theodore Joseph Marchibroda was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played four years in the NFL as a quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Cardinals (1957). Marchibroda was later head coach of the Colts in two different cities and decades, first in Baltimore from 1975 to 1979 and then Indianapolis from 1992 to 1995. Upon joining the Baltimore Ravens in 1996, he became the only individual to serve as head coach with both of Baltimore's NFL teams and gained the unusual distinction of having three stints as an NFL head coach for two franchises in two cities, but with no two of those tenures being for the same franchise in the same city. His career NFL head coaching record was 87–98–1 (.470) and 2–4 in the playoffs.

Irving Lee Goode is an American former football guard who played for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats and was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round of the 1962 NFL draft.

William T. Brooks Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Brooks was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 1986 NFL draft. He played in the NFL from 1986 to 1996 for the Colts, Buffalo Bills, and Washington Redskins. Brooks played college football for Boston University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Marrone</span> American football player and coach (born 1964)

Douglas Charles Marrone is an American football coach and former offensive tackle. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints. He came to prominence as the head coach at Syracuse from 2009 to 2012, where he previously played college football. He also served as the head coach of the NFL's Buffalo Bills from 2013 to 2014 and the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2016 to 2020.

The 1986 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League, and the 27th overall.

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

Eric Wood is an American former professional football player who was a center for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft by the Bills with the 28th overall pick. Wood played nine seasons in the NFL, including a Pro Bowl appearance, before retiring following the 2017 season due to a neck injury. Since 2019, he has been the color commentator and analyst on the Buffalo Bills Radio Network.

Ralph Edward Cindrich was a sports agent and former National Football League (NFL) player. He was a linebacker for the New England Patriots (1972), the Houston Oilers, and the Denver Broncos (1974), Cindrich graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1972 and South Texas College of Law in 1978.

Cindrich & Company is an international company in sports, entertainment, expert witness services, mediation and arbitration. Founded in 1981 by former NFL player, long-time NFL agent and licensed attorney Ralph Cindrich. Headed by Cindrich, the company acts as lead negotiator and counsel on the buying and selling of sports businesses and agencies. As an agent, Cindrich represents professional athletes and acts as consultant to third parties. Cindrich also provides testimony as an expert witness in sports related litigation and can serve as a neutral third party mediator and/or arbitrator.

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

Jonathan Taylor is an American professional football running back for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). Taylor played high school football at Salem High School, where he set a New Jersey state rushing yards record. He played three seasons of college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, finishing his college career as the sixth all-time rusher in the NCAA and becoming the first player in history to rush for more than 6,000 yards in any three-year span.

References

  1. 1 2 "Will Wolford Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  2. "All-America". Akron Beacon Journal. December 10, 1985. p. D2.
  3. "1986 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  4. "Former NFLer to operate Fire". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. October 18, 2001. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  5. "Former NFL player to be next St. X football coach". Louisville, Kentucky: WDRB. September 4, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2012.
  6. Heck, Jordan (April 10, 2019). "AAF to NFL:Tracking which players have signed following league suspension". MSN .
  7. Journal, Conor O’Neill Winston-Salem (November 17, 2017). "Ultimate competitor: After three tough years, Wake Forest QB John Wolford leading high-powered offense". Winston-Salem Journal.