Tony Casillas
Encyclopedia
Tony Steven Casillas is a former American football
defensive lineman in the National Football League
from 1986 through 1997. While at the University of Oklahoma
he helped win the 1985 NCAA National Championship. He also won the Lombardi Award
in 1985 and was the 1985 UPI Lineman of the Year
. In 2004 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
. Casillas later returned to the Cowboys in 96.
He was an All-State player for Tulsa East Central High School.
In 1985 he helped lead Oklahoma to their first National Championship in 10 years and became only the second Sooner ever to win the Lombardi Award
, which is given to the nation’s top lineman. He was named the UPI Lineman of the Year
, the Big Eight Conference
defensive player of the year, a consensus first team All-American and first team All-Conference. He ended his college career with 18 sacks and 213 career tackles.
He also excelled in the classroom, earning Academic All-American honors in 1985, and a degree in public relations.
In 2004 Casillas became the second Hispanic (his father is Mexican and his mother comes from Irish and Native American descent) to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
.
The National Football Foundation
selected him as the College Defensive Player of the Decade for the 1980s.
In 2008 he was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
by the Atlanta Falcons
. The team was switching to a 3-4 base defense, so they needed him to be their nose tackle, he responded by becoming a starter as a rookie and making 111 tackles and a sack. He also made the league's all-rookie team.
In the strike-shortened 1987 season
, he played just nine contests and had 72 tackles.
During the 1988
preseason, he left camp for three weeks to get guidance from a psychologist, suffering he said, from the stress of playing in professional football
. He returned to the team with a new attitude and in time to start the regular season, where he made 111 tackles and became a Pro Bowl
alternate.
He exploded in 1989
with 152 tackles, which still is a team record by a defensive lineman and was named second-team All-Pro
, becoming one of the best players at his position.
In 1990
he held out in a contract dispute from head coach Jerry Glanville
's first Falcons training camp, causing him to loose his starting job to rookie Tory Epps
. The problems escalated from there on, he eventually missed a 44-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams after failing to catch the team flight. The Falcons suspended him for two weeks without pay. Between injuries and discipline incidents, he only played in nine games as a reserve.
At the start of the 1991 season
he announced he was retiring, so the Falcons traded him to the Dallas Cowboys
for a second and eighth draft choice in the 1992 NFL Draft
.
During his five year span in Atlanta, Casillas had 478 tackles, the most ever by any Falcons defensive lineman and fourth best overall in franchise history.
welcomed Casillas to training camp with the news that he would play defensive left tackle in a 4-3 scheme where No. 1 draft pick Russell Maryland
also plays. He eventually won the starting spot and became part of the best defense and the best defensive-line rotation in the NFL.
His career was revived in Dallas, where he made a big impact in the defensive line and was part in the team's back to back victories in Super Bowl XXVII
and XXVIII
During his three years with the Cowboys, he became a specialist at stopping the run and was never used much as a pass-rusher.
Casillas left the team via free agency to join the Kansas City Chiefs
for the 1994 season
.
On the eve of training camp, he told coach Marty Schottenheimer
he was concerned about his health. Eventually, the Chiefs released him, forcing him to return his signing bonus. Their general manager, Carl Peterson
, asked the league to investigate whether the Cowboys had tampered, after the Cowboys hired Barry Switzer
(Casillas's former coach at Oklahoma ).
As part of Casillas's release from the Chiefs, he agreed that he would not sign in 1994
with any of the other American Conference West
division rivals or with the Cowboys.
, he signed with the New York Jets
after a bizarre spring and summer in which he practiced only sporadically in minicamp with the Chiefs and was eventually released.
In the two years he spent in New York, he dealt with injuries that caused him to only start 16 games.
. It was the only season in his career he failed to record a sack.
He retired after starting in 14 games in 1997
, matching his career high total of three sacks.
Casillas played in the NFL for 12 seasons and collected 23 sacks, 2 Pro Bowl
invites and 2 Super Bowl
Rings.
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...
defensive lineman 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...
from 1986 through 1997. While at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
he helped win the 1985 NCAA National Championship. He also won the Lombardi Award
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
in 1985 and was the 1985 UPI Lineman of the Year
UPI Lineman of the Year (College)
The United Press International college football lineman of the year award was among the first and most recognized college football awards. With the demise of UPI in 1997 the award was discontinued. Offensive and defensive linemen were eligible, including offensive ends, with one, Howard Twilley,...
. In 2004 he was inducted into 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...
. Casillas later returned to the Cowboys in 96.
Early years
Tony Steven Casillas was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on October 16, 1963.He was an All-State player for Tulsa East Central High School.
College career
On his way to becoming one of the best defensive linemen in both College and Oklahoma University history, in 1984 Casillas was named consensus first team All-American and first team All-Conference.In 1985 he helped lead Oklahoma to their first National Championship in 10 years and became only the second Sooner ever to win the Lombardi Award
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The Lombardi Award program was approved by the Rotary Club in Houston in 1970 shortly after the death of Vince Lombardi. The committee outlined the criteria for eligibility for the award, which...
, which is given to the nation’s top lineman. He was named the UPI Lineman of the Year
UPI Lineman of the Year (College)
The United Press International college football lineman of the year award was among the first and most recognized college football awards. With the demise of UPI in 1997 the award was discontinued. Offensive and defensive linemen were eligible, including offensive ends, with one, Howard Twilley,...
, the Big Eight Conference
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
defensive player of the year, a consensus first team All-American and first team All-Conference. He ended his college career with 18 sacks and 213 career tackles.
He also excelled in the classroom, earning Academic All-American honors in 1985, and a degree in public relations.
In 2004 Casillas became the second Hispanic (his father is Mexican and his mother comes from Irish and Native American descent) to be inducted into 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...
.
The National Football Foundation
National Football Foundation
The National Football Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1947 by General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army Black Knights football coach Earl "Red" Blaik and journalist Grantland Rice...
selected him as the College Defensive Player of the Decade for the 1980s.
In 2008 he was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
Atlanta Falcons
Casillas was selected second overall in the 1986 NFL Draft1986 NFL Draft
The 1986 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 29–30, 1986...
by the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. The team was switching to a 3-4 base defense, so they needed him to be their nose tackle, he responded by becoming a starter as a rookie and making 111 tackles and a sack. He also made the league's all-rookie team.
In the strike-shortened 1987 season
1987 NFL season
The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4–6 were played with replacement players...
, he played just nine contests and had 72 tackles.
During the 1988
1988 NFL season
The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....
preseason, he left camp for three weeks to get guidance from a psychologist, suffering he said, from the stress of playing in professional 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...
. He returned to the team with a new attitude and in time to start the regular season, where he made 111 tackles and became a 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...
alternate.
He exploded in 1989
1989 NFL season
The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement...
with 152 tackles, which still is a team record by a defensive lineman and was named second-team All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
, becoming one of the best players at his position.
In 1990
1990 NFL season
The 1990 NFL season was the 71st regular season of the National Football League. To increase revenue, the league changed the regular season so that all NFL teams would play their 16-game schedule over a 17-week period...
he held out in a contract dispute from head coach Jerry Glanville
Jerry Glanville
Jerry Glanville is a former American football player and current head coach of the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League, former NASCAR driver and owner, and sportscaster in the United States. He served the head coach of the Houston Oilers from 1986 to 1990 and the Atlanta Falcons from...
's first Falcons training camp, causing him to loose his starting job to rookie Tory Epps
Tory Epps
Tory Epps was an American football defensive tackle in the National Football League for the Atlanta Falcons, the Chicago Bears, and the New Orleans Saints. He also played in the Arena Football League for the Tampa Bay Storm. He played college football at Memphis State University. Epps died of a...
. The problems escalated from there on, he eventually missed a 44-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams after failing to catch the team flight. The Falcons suspended him for two weeks without pay. Between injuries and discipline incidents, he only played in nine games as a reserve.
At the start of the 1991 season
1991 NFL season
The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills....
he announced he was retiring, so the Falcons traded him to the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
for a second and eighth draft choice in the 1992 NFL Draft
1992 NFL Draft
The 1992 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, 1992. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft...
.
During his five year span in Atlanta, Casillas had 478 tackles, the most ever by any Falcons defensive lineman and fourth best overall in franchise history.
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
welcomed Casillas to training camp with the news that he would play defensive left tackle in a 4-3 scheme where No. 1 draft pick Russell Maryland
Russell Maryland
Russell James Maryland is a former professional American football player. He played defensive tackle for ten seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Cowboys first overall in the 1991 NFL Draft...
also plays. He eventually won the starting spot and became part of the best defense and the best defensive-line rotation in the NFL.
His career was revived in Dallas, where he made a big impact in the defensive line and was part in the team's back to back victories in Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII was a football game played on January 31, 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1992 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football Conference champion...
and XXVIII
Super Bowl XXVIII
Super Bowl XXVIII was an American football game played on January 30, 1994, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1993 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football...
During his three years with the Cowboys, he became a specialist at stopping the run and was never used much as a pass-rusher.
Casillas left the team via free agency to join the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
for the 1994 season
1994 NFL season
The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
.
Kansas City Chiefs
He immediately started having problems with the Chiefs in mini-camp, practicing only sporadically, saying that he had a problem with high blood pressure.On the eve of training camp, he told coach Marty Schottenheimer
Marty Schottenheimer
Martin Edward "Marty" Schottenheimer is the current head coach of the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. Over his career, he has served as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers. He has the most wins of any NFL coach...
he was concerned about his health. Eventually, the Chiefs released him, forcing him to return his signing bonus. Their general manager, Carl Peterson
Carl Peterson
Carl D. Peterson grew up in Long Beach, California, and is an alumnus of UCLA. He is best known as the former president, general manager, and chief executive officer of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League...
, asked the league to investigate whether the Cowboys had tampered, after the Cowboys hired Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer is a former football coach, active in the college and professional ranks between 1962 and 1997. He has one of the highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history, and is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a...
(Casillas's former coach at Oklahoma ).
As part of Casillas's release from the Chiefs, he agreed that he would not sign in 1994
1994 NFL season
The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
with any of the other American Conference West
AFC West
The AFC West is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference, currently comprising the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders.-History:...
division rivals or with the Cowboys.
New York Jets
In 19941994 NFL season
The 1994 NFL season was the 75th regular season of the National Football League. To honor the NFL's 75th season, a special anniversary logo was designed and each player wore a patch on their jerseys with this logo throughout the season...
, he signed with the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
after a bizarre spring and summer in which he practiced only sporadically in minicamp with the Chiefs and was eventually released.
In the two years he spent in New York, he dealt with injuries that caused him to only start 16 games.
Dallas Cowboys
He rejoined the Cowboys as a reserve for the 1996 season1996 NFL season
The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end...
. It was the only season in his career he failed to record a sack.
He retired after starting in 14 games in 1997
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
, matching his career high total of three sacks.
Casillas played in the NFL for 12 seasons and collected 23 sacks, 2 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...
invites and 2 Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
Rings.