Jeremiah Castille is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional football player. A 5'10", 175-lb.
defensive backIn American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
from the
University of AlabamaThe University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, Castille was selected by the
Tampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
in the third round of the
1983 NFL DraftThe 1983 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 26–27, 1983...
. He played in six seasons in the
NFLThe 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...
from 1983–1988 for the Buccaneers and
Denver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Castille's best season as a pro was in 1985, when he recorded 7 interceptions. He finished his career with 14 interceptions, which he returned for 207 yards, and 3 fumble recoveries.
Castille played
college footballCollege football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the
Alabama Crimson Tide|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
and was on the last team coached by the legendary
Bear BryantPaul Bryant may refer to:* Bear Bryant , American football coach* Paul Bryant , , British disc jockey* Cubby Bryant , American radio personality...
. Castille was a pallbearer at Bryant's funeral on January 28, 1983. Castille played for Alabama from 1979–1982, recording a school record 16 interceptions and making the
College Football All-America TeamThe College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...
in 1982. In the 1982
Liberty BowlThe Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
at the end of the season, Castille intercepted three passes in a 21–15 win and was selected as the game's MVP.
http://www.rolltide.com/fls/8000/files/football/records/All_Americans.pdf
While playing for the Broncos during the 1987
AFC Championship GameThe American Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the American...
versus the
Cleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Castille will forever be remembered for stripping the ball from Browns'
running backA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Earnest BynerEarnest Alexander Byner is a former American football running back in the National Football League and is currently a running backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars...
in a play called "
The FumbleIn American football, The Fumble refers to a specific incident in the AFC Championship Game between the Cleveland Browns and the Denver Broncos on January 17, 1988 at Mile High Stadium...
". He also recorded an interception in
Super Bowl XXIISuper Bowl XXII was an American football game played on January 31, 1988 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1987 regular season...
, although this is not as widely remembered because his team ended up losing 42–10.
Two of Castille's sons,
TimTimothy Nehemiah Castille is an American football fullback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Alabama.-Arizona Cardinals:Castille was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as...
and
SimeonSimeon Castille is an American football cornerback who is currently playing for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
, also played in the NFL after playing college football at Alabama.