Andre Bernard Tippett (born December 27, 1959) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for the University of Iowa, and was recognized as an All-American. A second-round pick in the 1982 NFL Draft, Tippett played professionally for the New England Patriots for his entire pro career. Currently, he is the Patriots' Executive Director of Community Affairs. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

Personal life[link]

Tippett was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended Barringer High School in Newark, New Jersey.^[1] He first attended college and played football at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls in 1978.

He is married to Rhonda Tippett (née Kenney) with three daughters, Janea Tippett, Asia Barnes and Madison, and one son, Coby.^[2] Asia has been a Patriots Cheerleader since 2008. Andre Tippett is a former Baptist, and a convert to Judaism.^[3] He currently lives in Sharon, Massachusetts, and is a Pop Warner football coach.^[4]

College football[link]

Tippett was an All-American defensive end and a three-year letterman at the University of Iowa. He was also a two-time All-Big Ten selection (1980 and 1981). In 1981 he helped lead the Hawkeyes to their first winning season, their first Big Ten title, and first Rose Bowl in two decades. He was part of a defense that allowed only 129 points, the lowest total since 1965 and 9th best in school history and allowed only 86.9 rushing yards a game, which still stands as the school record. The 1981 Iowa defense allowed 253 total yards a game, the fewest since 1959, making it the 4th best defense in school history in terms of total yards. Against Northwestern on October 3, 1981, the Hawkeye defense allowed 78 total yards which stands as 6th best in defensive performances in team history.^[5] All told, the 1981 Iowa defense is arguably the best over-all defense in school history in terms of yards and points allowed competing with the 1956 and 1957 Hawkeye defenses that featured Alex Karras.

Andre was a two-time first team all-Big Ten, and a team captain in 1981. He holds the Iowa record for tackles for lost yardage in a season (20 tackles for 153 yards in 1980).^[6] He played in the Hula Bowl and the Japan Bowl in 1982, after his senior year at Iowa. He was voted a DE on Iowa’s all-time football team in 1989 as is a member of the University of Iowa's Varsity Hall of Fame. Upon induction to the Varsity Hall of Fame, Tippett remarked, "For me, this is a 'Wow' . . . It is really, really special to be voted by your peers and the people who saw you play. I'm going in with some of the greatest people to ever play sports at the University of Iowa. This is one of the greatest honors I have ever had. This is a special feeling because during the three years I was there, I developed a great bond with the players and coaches." ^[7]

Professional football[link]

Tippett was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 2nd round of the 1982 NFL Draft.

Tippett is a member of the NFL’s 1980s all-decade team and was selected to five Pro Bowls in his career, earning the nod in five straight seasons from 1984–88.

From 1984–85, Tippett recorded the highest two-season sack total by a linebacker in NFL history, totaling 35.0 sacks during the two seasons. His 18.5 sacks in 1984 are the third most by any linebacker in a single season, while his 16.5 sacks in 1985 are tied for the sixth most by any linebacker in NFL history.

Tippett holds the Patriots’ franchise record with 100.0 career sacks. He also owns the top three single-season sack performances in Patriots history (18.5 in 1984, 16.5 in 1985 and 12.5 in 1987). He ranked seventh on the all-time sacks list, and third among linebackers, at the time of his retirement following the 1993 season. Over his career, Tippett recorded 100 sacks in 151 games, an average of 0.662 sacks per game. The mark currently ranks fourth in NFL history among linebackers.

After not recording a sack as a rookie in 1982, Tippett finished either first or second on the team in sacks in each of his final 10 seasons. He led the team in sacks six times and finished second on the team four times. Tippett recorded 30 multiple-sack games in his career and sacked a total of 41 different quarterbacks. Tippett recovered 18 opponents’ fumbles during his career, tying him for first on the Patriots’ all-time list (Steve Nelson). He also forced 17 fumbles in his career.

Tippett was named the AFC’s Linebacker of the Year by the NFL Players Association for three straight seasons from 1985–87. He was voted to the Associated Press All-NFL First-team on two occasions (1985 and 1987) and Second-team on two other occasions (1986 and 1988). He was also named to the NFL Films All-Pro team in 1984.

He was voted the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) co-Defensive Player of the Year (with Raider Howie Long) in 1985. Additionally, he was voted the 1985 UPI AFL-AFC Defensive Player of the Year.

Tippett twice earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week awards. The first in the Patriots 20–13 win over the New York Jets as he stopped the Jets 3 times within the 10 yard line on 10–20–85. Next, he was the AFC Defensive Player of the Week in the Patriots 21–7 win over the Houston Oilers on 10–18–87. In this victory over Houston at the Astrodome, Andre had 3 sacks, defended on a pass play and blocked a field goal attempt that was returned for a touchdown by Raymond Clayborn.

Tippett spent his entire 12-year career with the Patriots and was a member of three playoff teams, including the 1985 AFC Champions.

Honors[link]

Tippett was selected to the Patriots’ 35th Anniversary Team in 1994 and was selected to the Patriots Team of the Century in 2000. He was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame in 1999.^[8] Tippett was inducted into the University of Iowa Hall of Fame on September 7, 2007.

In January, 2008, he was voted by a panel of former NFL players and coaches to Pro Football Weekly's All-Time 3–4 defensive team along with Harry Carson, Lawrence Taylor, Randy Gradishar, Howie Long, Lee Roy Selmon, and Curley Culp.^[9]

He was named as one of 17 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2007 and 2008.^[10] As a finalist he joined other modern-era players and two players selected by the Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee in the pool from which the Hall of Fame class was selected.

The Hall of Fame’s 40-member Selection Committee met in Miami on February 3, 2007, to select the Class of 2007. Tippett was not selected for enshrinement, but he was among the top 10 finalists. The now 44-member Selection Committee met in Arizona, the day prior to Super bowl XLII, to vote on the Class of 2008. Just prior, Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson said, " "I think it is about time Andre Tippett is in the Hall Of Fame." ^[11]

He was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the class of 2008.^[12] Tippett was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in April 2009.^[13]

See also[link]

• List of select Jewish football players

References[link]

External links[link]

• Tippett's stats

Danny Woodhead

Woodhead with the Patriots in 2011
No. 39     New England Patriots
Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1985-01-25) January 25, 1985 (age 27)
Place of birth: North Platte, Nebraska
Height: 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) Weight: 195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
College: Chadron State
Undrafted in 2008
Debuted in 2009 for the New York Jets
Career history
New York Jets (2008–2010) New England Patriots (2010–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
2× Harlon Hill Trophy Winner (2006–2007)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2011
Rushing yards 957 Rushing average 5.1 Rushing touchdowns 6 Receptions 58 Receiving yards 613 Receiving touchdowns 1 Stats at NFL.com

Danny Woodhead (born January 25, 1985) is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Chadron State.

Woodhead set several NCAA college football rushing records, including single season rushing and all-time rushing. In 2006 and 2007, he won the Harlon Hill Trophy, awarded to the best player in NCAA Division II, making him the third player to win the trophy twice in its history (the other players are Johnny Bailey and Dusty Bonner). On October 6, 2007, Woodhead became the NCAA all-time, all-division leading rusher. Woodhead held this record until it was broken by Mount Union College running back Nate Kmic on December 13, 2008.^[1]

Early years[link]

Woodhead played football at North Platte High School in North Platte, Nebraska, and broke many records. North Platte reached the state finals in 2001, with Woodhead's help after beating Millard North High School team 24-21.^{[citation needed]} Woodhead blocked a field goal attempt late in the fourth quarter to give North Platte possession with only minutes left. North Platte's Ben Woodhead, Woodhead's older brother, threw a pass down field to set up a game winning field goal by Jake McCarthy.^{[citation needed]} However, North Platte went on to lose the state championship 28-14 to Millard West High School.

In Woodhead's junior season, his team went 8-1 in the regular season, and won two games in the playoffs before falling to Millard North in the semifinals.

Woodhead's senior season, North Platte had its first undefeated regular season in 40 years, going 9-0. The team went on to beat Omaha North High School in the first round of the playoffs, Bellevue East in the second round, and finally lost to Millard North 21-7 in the semifinals for the second year in a row.^{[citation needed]} Woodhead finished as Nebraska's Class A leading rusher, as well as Nebraska's Class A all-time leading rusher with 4,891 yards (2000–2003).^{[citation needed]} North Platte High's quarterback that year, Derek Enderle, also finished as the state's leading passer.^{[citation needed]} This marked the first time in North Platte's history that the football team finished with the state's leading passer and rusher in the same season.

Woodhead also ran track for a year and broke his school's 100 meter record at 10.5 seconds.^{[citation needed]}

College career[link]

In 2004, Woodhead began attending Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska, where he rushed for 1,840 yards as a true freshman. Woodhead was the first recipient of a full athletic scholarship at Chadron State in its 96-year history.^[2]

In 2005, Woodhead carried the ball 278 times for 1,769 yards, averaging 6.4 yards per carry, and 21 touchdowns. He also had 30 receptions for 367 yards, averaging 12.2 yards per reception.

In 2006, through 12 games, Woodhead rushed for 2,740 yards, a new all-division single season rushing record,^[3] surpassing Kavin Gaillaird. Including the playoffs, his rushing yards in 2006 totaled 2,756. He also led his team to the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2006, losing to Northwest Missouri State. Northwest Missouri State managed to hold Woodhead to a season low 16 yards rushing on 16 carries while giving up 79 yards receiving, which was more than double anyone on the Northwest Missouri team. Chadron also had 327 yards of total offense compared to Northwest Missouri State's 306.

Through 39 games, Woodhead’s 606 points equated to 15.5 points a game, the highest ever in NCAA Division II. Only Dan Pugh of Mount Union College, a Division III school in Ohio, with 248 points in 2002 and Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State with 234 in 1988, had ever scored more points in a season than Woodhead scored in 2006. However, in 2007 Abilene Christian University's Bernard Scott broke Woodhead's Division II record by scoring 39 touchdowns (234 points).^{[citation needed]}

Woodhead accumulated 7,441 yards on the ground, for his career, giving him a career average of 190.8 yards per game. He rushed for more than 200 yards in 19 of his 39 appearances and scored in 37 consecutive games, both of which are NCAA all-division records.

After a 208-yard game against Western New Mexico in 2007, he became college football’s all-time leading rusher, breaking the record previously held by R.J. Bowers, who played for Grove City College, a Division III school in Pennsylvania from 1997–2000.^[1] Woodhead is also just the sixth NCAA Division II player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in four seasons.