Eric Bjornson

Last updated

Eric Bjornson
ETB (2).jpg
No. 86
Position: Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1971-12-15) December 15, 1971 (age 52)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:237 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school: Oakland (CA) Bishop O'Dowd
College: Washington
NFL draft: 1995  / Round: 4 / Pick: 110
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:82
Receptions:147
Receiving yards:1,384
Touchdowns:8
Player stats at PFR

Eric Thomas Bjornson (born December 15, 1971) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at University of Washington.

Contents

Early years

Bjornson attended Bishop O'Dowd High School, where he became a three-year starter at quarterback. As a sophomore, he had a game where he threw for 5 touchdowns.

As a senior, he helped his team earn a 10–1 record and the East Shore Athletic League championship. He received scholar-athlete awards from the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame and the Oakland Tribune. He finished his career with 583 completions for 4,074 yards and 36 touchdowns.

College career

Bjornson accepted a football scholarship to the University of Washington. As a redshirt freshman in 1991, he was the third-string quarterback behind Billy Joe Hobert and Mark Brunell, on the national championship team. He was converted into a wide receiver as a sophomore, making 14 receptions for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns. As a junior, he returned to quarterback, as the backup to Damon Huard, getting a chance to start the final 3 games of the 1993 season, registering a 2–1 record.

As a senior, he was moved back to wide receiver, leading the team with 49 receptions (at the time fifth highest total in school history), for 770 yards and 7 touchdowns. [1] He was sixth in the Pacific-10 in receptions and tied for second in touchdown receptions, while earning second-team All-Pac-10, Academic All-Pac-10 and second-team Academic All-American honors. He finished his college career with 64 receptions for 958 yards and 9 touchdowns.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Bjornson was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round (110th overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft, [2] with the plan of converting him into a tight end. [3] As a rookie, he contributed on special teams (6 tackles) and as a backup, while being part of the Super Bowl XXX championship team.

He became a starter in 1996, after Pro Bowler Jay Novacek suffered a back injury, that eventually forced him to retire. He would go on to start 10 games and had career-highs with 48 receptions (second on the team) and 3 touchdowns, despite playing through two sprained ankles that limited his playing time over the final four games of the regular season and the playoffs. [4]

In 1997, although the Cowboys had drafted tight end David LaFleur in the first round, Bjornson still was an integral part of the offense, finishing second on the team and third among NFC tight ends with 47 receptions. He also was third on the team with a career-high 442 receiving yards, even though he suffered a fractured left fibula in Week 14.

In 1998, he was re-signed by the Cowboys to a two-year contract. That year, he played in all 16 games mainly as a backup (four starts) to LaFleur and although he was used some times as the slot receiver in four-wide receiver sets, his production decreased when he wasn't the starter.

In 1999, he played in all 16 games (six starts), finishing with 10 receptions for 131 yards. He was also used as the placekicker holder and had a 20-yard touchdown run on a fake field goal attempt.

Bjornson had 127 receptions for 1,232 yards (9.7 avg.) and six touchdowns during his five seasons with the Cowboys.

New England Patriots

On February 29, 2000, he signed as a free agent with the New England Patriots, but was released on November 15. [5] He appeared in 8 games (6 starts), collecting 20 receptions for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Oakland Raiders

On March 1, 2001, he signed as a free agent with the Oakland Raiders. He was released before the season started on August 28. [6]

Related Research Articles

Otis Jason Santiago is a Canadian former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns. He also was a member of the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Kent State Golden Flashes.

Terry Tyree Glenn was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and Dallas Cowboys. He was drafted by the New England Patriots seventh overall in the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning consensus All-American honors in 1995.

Sean P. Ryan is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Boston College.

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

Damon Paul Huard is a former American football quarterback. He is the director of community relations and fundraising for the University of Washington football program, his alma mater.

Robert Mitchell Awalt is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, and Buffalo Bills. He played college football at San Diego State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Cosbie</span> American football player and coach (born 1956)

Douglas Durant Cosbie is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Santa Clara University.

David Alan LaFleur is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers, earning All-American honors in 1996.

Alan Scott Galbraith is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Green Bay Packers. He was part of the Super Bowl XXVIII championship team over the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at the University of Southern California.

James G. Price is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys and the St. Louis Rams. He played college football at Stanford University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martellus Bennett</span> American football player (born 1987)

Martellus Demond Bennett is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies football and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. Bennett was a member of five teams during his career, most notably the Chicago Bears, with whom he earned Pro Bowl honors, and the New England Patriots, with whom he won Super Bowl LI. After retiring, Bennett became a children's author and published books under his publication company The Imagination Agency. He is the younger brother of former defensive end Michael Bennett.

Tyji Donrapheal Armstrong is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, and St. Louis Rams. He also was a member of the Chicago Enforcers in the XFL league. He played college football at the University of Mississippi.

Cory Lamont Fleming is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Nashville Kats, Carolina Cobras and Orlando Predators in the Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football for the University of Tennessee.

Jackie Bernard Harris is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Oilers / Titans and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at what is now known as the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Thornton Chandler is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hanna (American football)</span> American football player (born 1989)

James Hanna is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noah Brown (American football)</span> American football player (born 1996)

Noah Brown is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalton Schultz</span> American football player (born 1996)

Dalton Chase Schultz is an American football tight end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford and was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Brian Allen Bedford is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Diego Chargers. He also was a member of the Toronto Argonauts and BC Lions in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at the University of California.

Rick Shaw is a former American football defensive back and wide receiver in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Calgary Stampeders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He played college football at Arizona State University.

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

Peyton Hendershot is an American football tight end for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Indiana.

References

  1. ↑ "This Personnel Switch Well Received : Huskies: Bjornson goes from passing to catching, giving Huard a target who can sense trouble". Los Angeles Times . October 2, 1994. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  2. ↑ "1995 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Rookie shining at tight end" . Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Cowboys sign tight end Mitchell, who ends retirement" . Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Transactions". The New York Times. November 16, 2000. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Transactions". The New York Times. August 29, 2001. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
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.