Pat Swilling
Encyclopedia
Patrick Travis Swilling (born October 25, 1964 in Toccoa, Georgia
) is a former American football
linebacker
in the NFL
for the New Orleans Saints
and a delegate in the Louisiana House of Representatives
. He earned five Pro Bowl
appearances.
fielded fierce defenses
in 1991 and 1992, led by one of the best linebacker units in the history of the league. In 1991, Swilling had 17 sacks and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. In 1992, linebackers Rickey Jackson
, Vaughan Johnson
, Sam Mills
, and Swilling, also known as the Dome Patrol
, all played in the Pro Bowl, and the Saints led the league in quarterback sack
s. Despite its tenacious defense, the team lost in the first round each time it made the playoff
s.
Swilling was traded to the Detroit Lions
in 1993 for draft picks. In order to sign Swilling Detroit had to "unretire" the legendary Joe Schmidt
’s number 56. In his first year with Detroit he made it to his fifth and final Pro Bowl. The Detroit Lions qualified for the playoffs in both of Swilling's seasons with the team, being eliminated each time, in the first round, by the Green Bay Packers
. Swilling finished his career with 107.5 sacks.
Swilling lost all six playoff games he played in; no other player in NFL history has more losses without a win.
of Orleans Parish.
On April 30, 2009, Swilling was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
. He is currently a real estate developer in New Orleans. His son, Pat Swilling, Jr. received a full-ride scholarship to play basketball at Saint Joseph's University
, but left the team and university on February 19, 2011 after being suspended from the team.
Toccoa, Georgia
Toccoa is a city in Stephens County, Georgia, United States located approximately from Athens and approximately northeast of Atlanta. The population was 9,323 at the 2000 census...
) is a former American football
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...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
in the NFL
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...
for the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
and a delegate in the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
. He earned five Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
appearances.
College career
Swilling played for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Swilling set the NCAA record for sacks in a game, with seven against North Carolina State and the Georgia Tech mark for sacks in a season (15). Voted first-team All-America in 1985, Swilling left Georgia Tech as the all time sack leader and now ranks 5th.Professional career
The New Orleans SaintsNew Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
fielded fierce defenses
Defense (sport)
In many team sports, defense or defence is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring. The term may also refer to the tactics involved in defense, or a sub-team whose primary responsibility is defense...
in 1991 and 1992, led by one of the best linebacker units in the history of the league. In 1991, Swilling had 17 sacks and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. In 1992, linebackers Rickey Jackson
Rickey Jackson
Rickey Anderson Jackson is a former American football linebacker in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers . In 1997, Jackson was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. Jackson won a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX one year before retiring...
, Vaughan Johnson
Vaughan Johnson
Vaughan Monroe Johnson is a retired American football linebacker.Johnson played college football at North Carolina State University. After college, he went to play in the USFL with the Jacksonville Bulls. Afterwards, he would go on to the NFL and play for the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia...
, Sam Mills
Sam Mills
Samuel Davis "Sam" Mills, Jr. was an American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.-Early life:...
, and Swilling, also known as the Dome Patrol
Dome Patrol
The Dome Patrol was the nickname of the New Orleans Saints football team's linebacker corps of the late 1980s and the early 1990s. The Dome Patrol was rated by NFL Network as the #1 linebacker corps of all-time.Its members were:...
, all played in the Pro Bowl, and the Saints led the league in quarterback sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s. Despite its tenacious defense, the team lost in the first round each time it made the playoff
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
s.
Swilling was traded to the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in 1993 for draft picks. In order to sign Swilling Detroit had to "unretire" the legendary Joe Schmidt
Joe Schmidt
Joseph Paul Schmidt is a former American football player and coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. His 13-year career with the National Football League's Detroit Lions gained him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1973.-Collegiate career:Schmidt grew up in Pittsburgh,...
’s number 56. In his first year with Detroit he made it to his fifth and final Pro Bowl. The Detroit Lions qualified for the playoffs in both of Swilling's seasons with the team, being eliminated each time, in the first round, by 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...
. Swilling finished his career with 107.5 sacks.
Swilling lost all six playoff games he played in; no other player in NFL history has more losses without a win.
Personal life
Swilling was elected to the Louisiana State House of Representatives from New Orleans in 2001 and served one term. He had stated an interest in seeking the position of sheriffSheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Orleans Parish.
On April 30, 2009, Swilling was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
. He is currently a real estate developer in New Orleans. His son, Pat Swilling, Jr. received a full-ride scholarship to play basketball at Saint Joseph's University
Saint Joseph's University
Saint Joseph's University is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic Jesuit university located partially in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia and partially in Lower Merion Township and located in the Pennsylvania Main Line, Pennsylvania, United States.The school was founded in 1851 as Saint...
, but left the team and university on February 19, 2011 after being suspended from the team.