Frankie Neal
Encyclopedia
Frankie Leon Neal is a former American college and professional football
player who was a wide receiver
in the National Football League
(NFL) for a single season in 1987. Neal played college football for the University of Florida
and Fort Hays State University
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Green Bay Packers
of the NFL.
. He attended Okeechobee High School
in Okeechobee, Florida
, where he played high school football
for the Okeechobee Brahmans.
, where he played for coach Charley Pell
and coach Galen Hall
's Florida Gators football
teams from 1983 to 1985. Memorably, Neal was part of one of the ten greatest pass plays in Gators football history when he caught a pass from quarterback Kerwin Bell
to go eighty-two yards from scrimmage for a touchdown against the Florida State Seminoles
in 1985. He finished the 1985 season with twenty receptions for 487 yards, which is still the Gators' single-season record for most yards per catch (24.4 yards).
, and he played for the Packers during the season. He finished his rookie season as a pro with thirty-six receptions for 420 yards and three touchdowns.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who was a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) for a single season in 1987. Neal played college football for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
and Fort Hays State University
Fort Hays State University
Fort Hays State University is a public, co-educational university located in Hays, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-largest of the six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents, with an enrollment of approximately 11,200 students .- History :FHSU was founded in 1902 as the...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
of the NFL.
Early years
Neal was born in Sebring, FloridaSebring, Florida
Sebring is a city in Highlands County, Florida, United States, nicknamed "The City on the Circle", in reference to Circle Drive, the center of the Sebring Downtown Historic District...
. He attended Okeechobee High School
Okeechobee High School
Okeechobee High School is a public high school for grades 10–12 in Okeechobee County, Florida. As of 2007 its enrollment is around 1,645.The school belongs to the Okeechobee County School District.- 2006 "Gay-Straight Alliance" lawsuit :...
in Okeechobee, Florida
Okeechobee, Florida
Okeechobee is a city in Okeechobee County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,376 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 5,784. It is the county seat of Okeechobee County. The Speckled Perch Festival is held annually in honor of the most...
, where he played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
for the Okeechobee Brahmans.
College career
Neal attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, FloridaGainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he played for coach Charley Pell
Charley Pell
Charles Byron "Charley" Pell was an American college football player and coach. Pell was an Alabama native and an alumnus of the University of Alabama, where he played college football. He is most notably remembered as the head coach of the Clemson University and the University of Florida...
and coach Galen Hall
Galen Hall
Galen Samuel Hall is an American college and professional football coach and former player. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and an alumnus of Penn State University, where he played college football...
's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
teams from 1983 to 1985. Memorably, Neal was part of one of the ten greatest pass plays in Gators football history when he caught a pass from quarterback Kerwin Bell
Kerwin Bell
Kerwin Douglas Bell is an American college and professional football coach and former player who was a quarterback in the National Football League , World League of American Football and the Canadian Football League for fourteen seasons in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s...
to go eighty-two yards from scrimmage for a touchdown against the Florida State Seminoles
Florida State Seminoles football
The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in college football. The Florida State Seminoles compete in NCAA Division I-FBS and are members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
in 1985. He finished the 1985 season with twenty receptions for 487 yards, which is still the Gators' single-season record for most yards per catch (24.4 yards).
Professional career
The Green Bay packers selected Neal in the third round of the 1987 NFL Draft1987 NFL Draft
The 1987 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987...
, and he played for the Packers during the season. He finished his rookie season as a pro with thirty-six receptions for 420 yards and three touchdowns.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1980–1989
- Fort Hays TigersFort Hays TigersFort Hays State University athletic teams are known as the Tigers. The school's teams participate in the NCAA Division II Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association , except for wrestling, which competes as a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference .-Athletics department:Fort Hays...
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of Green Bay Packers players