Tony Tolbert
Encyclopedia
Anthony Lewis Tolbert is a former American football
defensive end
in the National Football League
. He was raised in Englewood, New Jersey
, and graduated from Dwight Morrow High School
. Tolbert was drafted
in 4th round of the 1989 NFL Draft
by the Dallas Cowboys
. Tolbert made the Pro Bowl
in 1996 after recording 12 quarterback sacks.
Tolbert grew up in Englewood N.J. and graduated from Dwight Morrow High School
.
He received a scholarship to play at the University of Texas-El Paso.
Tolbert was light for a defensive end
(6 feet 2 inches and 175 pounds as a freshman), but developed into a very good pass rusher at the college level.
At UTEP, his best year was his senior season, when he tied a school record with 11 sacks, made over 100 tackles and earned All-WAC
honors.
UTEP's 1988 team is the winningest footbal
team in school history with 10 wins. It also clinched an Independence Bowl
bid, where they lost 38-18 to Southern Mississippi University.
He graduated in 1991 with a degree in criminal justice.
On September 27, 2008, He was honored for his achievements with the 1988 UTEP Miners, during a footbal
home game against the University of Central Florida
.
by the Dallas Cowboys
in the fourth round of the 1989 NFL Draft
out of the University of Texas-El Paso.
He was a low draft selection, because coming out of college he was what they called a tweener (Not fast enough to play linebacker
and too light to be a defensive end
). He ended up, not just having a long career, but also excelling.
He broke into the starting lineup at left defensive end
in 1990
, and remained there for all nine of his seasons with the Cowboys.
As defensive end
for the Cowboys from 1989
-1997
, Tolbert played an important role in the Cowboys' rise to prominence in the 90's and their three Super Bowl
victories.
Tolbert became one of the stalwarts, on one of the best defenses of the 90's. During that time, he teamed up with Charles Haley
to become one of the top pass-rushing duos in the NFL.
Although he came into the league as a pass rush specialist, he developed into a rugged run stopper, making him the leading tackler among Cowboy defensive linemen for seven straight years.
Tolbert played with chronic knee pain through the final years of his career, because of a degenerative knee condition.
He was a Pro Bowl
er in 1996
, when he had a career high of 12 sacks and 85 tackles.
Despite playing in pain, Tolbert started all 16 games in 1997
, compiled five sacks and led all Cowboys defensive linemen in tackles for the seventh consecutive season, with 60. Tolbert's five sacks were the most on the team that year.
He was released after the 1997
season because of his declining performance while playing on aching knees. This happened only a year after he was selected to his first Pro Bowl
team.
During his career, he recorded 59 quarterback sacks in 128 games played over the course of 9 seasons, plus he returned his only interception 54 yards for a touchdown
.
He had more sacks during the 90s than any other Cowboy player.
Ten years after he retired, he had knee-replacement surgery on both knees. The result of seven knee surgeries during his nine-year career.
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 end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
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...
. He was raised in Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood, New Jersey
Englewood is a city located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 27,147.Englewood was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from portions of Ridgefield Township and the remaining portions of...
, and graduated from Dwight Morrow High School
Dwight Morrow High School
Dwight Morrow High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Englewood, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Englewood Public School District. The school also serves students from Englewood Cliffs, who attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship...
. Tolbert was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in 4th round of the 1989 NFL Draft
1989 NFL Draft
The 1989 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 23–24 , 1989...
by 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...
. Tolbert made the 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...
in 1996 after recording 12 quarterback sacks.
Early days
Born 29 December 1967, in Tuskegee, Alabama.Tolbert grew up in Englewood N.J. and graduated from Dwight Morrow High School
Dwight Morrow High School
Dwight Morrow High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Englewood, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Englewood Public School District. The school also serves students from Englewood Cliffs, who attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship...
.
He received a scholarship to play at the University of Texas-El Paso.
Tolbert was light for a defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
(6 feet 2 inches and 175 pounds as a freshman), but developed into a very good pass rusher at the college level.
At UTEP, his best year was his senior season, when he tied a school record with 11 sacks, made over 100 tackles and earned All-WAC
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
honors.
UTEP's 1988 team is the winningest footbal
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...
team in school history with 10 wins. It also clinched an Independence Bowl
Independence Bowl
The Independence Bowl is a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, so named because it was inaugurated in the United States bicentennial year, 1976....
bid, where they lost 38-18 to Southern Mississippi University.
He graduated in 1991 with a degree in criminal justice.
On September 27, 2008, He was honored for his achievements with the 1988 UTEP Miners, during a footbal
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...
home game against the University of Central Florida
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...
.
Professional career
He was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by 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...
in the fourth round of the 1989 NFL Draft
1989 NFL Draft
The 1989 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 23–24 , 1989...
out of the University of Texas-El Paso.
He was a low draft selection, because coming out of college he was what they called a tweener (Not fast enough to play 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...
and too light to be a defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
). He ended up, not just having a long career, but also excelling.
He broke into the starting lineup at left defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
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...
, and remained there for all nine of his seasons with the Cowboys.
As defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
for the Cowboys from 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...
-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...
, Tolbert played an important role in the Cowboys' rise to prominence in the 90's and their three 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...
victories.
Tolbert became one of the stalwarts, on one of the best defenses of the 90's. During that time, he teamed up with Charles Haley
Charles Haley
Charles Lewis Haley is a former American football linebacker and defensive end in the National Football League who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys . He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1986 NFL Draft out of James Madison University...
to become one of the top pass-rushing duos in the NFL.
Although he came into the league as a pass rush specialist, he developed into a rugged run stopper, making him the leading tackler among Cowboy defensive linemen for seven straight years.
Tolbert played with chronic knee pain through the final years of his career, because of a degenerative knee condition.
He was 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...
er in 1996
1996 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...
, when he had a career high of 12 sacks and 85 tackles.
Despite playing in pain, Tolbert started all 16 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...
, compiled five sacks and led all Cowboys defensive linemen in tackles for the seventh consecutive season, with 60. Tolbert's five sacks were the most on the team that year.
He was released after the 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...
season because of his declining performance while playing on aching knees. This happened only a year after he was selected to his first 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...
team.
During his career, he recorded 59 quarterback sacks in 128 games played over the course of 9 seasons, plus he returned his only interception 54 yards for a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
.
He had more sacks during the 90s than any other Cowboy player.
Ten years after he retired, he had knee-replacement surgery on both knees. The result of seven knee surgeries during his nine-year career.