Andre Tippett
Andre Bernard Tippett (born December 27, 1959 in Birmingham) is the Executive Director of Community Affairs for the New England Patriots. For 10 seasons (1983-1993) he played linebacker for the Patriots, earning five trips to the Pro-Bowl and being named the AFC's player of the year and the NFL's defensive player of the year for the 1985 season, during which the Patriots advanced to the Super Bowl. Tippett was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Tippett was born in Birmingham, but moved with his family to Newark, New Jersey before completing school. He graduated from Barringer High School in Newark and then enrolled at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa in 1978. A year later he earned a scholarship to the University of Iowa and became a three-year letterman who helped the team to their first ever Big Ten championship and a berth in the Rose Bowl. He was named twice to the All-Big Ten team and was an All-American in 1981. His record of 20 tackles for lost yardage stands as a Hawkeyes record. He was inducted into the University of Iowa Hall of Fame in 2007.
Tippett was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 2nd round of the 1982 NFL Draft. He earned a reputation as a sack specialist. After spending his rookie season on special teams and then earning a respectable 8 1/2 sacks his second season, Tippett credited with 35 over the next two years and finished his career with an even 100 in 151 games, dropping 41 different quarterbacks. He holds the top three single-season sack totals for the Patriots franchise (18.5 in 1984, 16.5 in 1985 and 12.5 in 1987) and, when he retired, ranked 7th on the NFL's all-time sacks list (3rd among linebackers). He also recovered 18 opponent's fumbles and forced 17 himself.
Tippett spent his entire 12-year career with the Patriots and was a member of three playoff teams, including the 1985 AFC Champions. He was named to the NFL's 1980s All-Decade team and to the Patriots' 35th Anniversary Team in 1994 and the Patriots' Team of the Century in 2000. In 2008 he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Tippett is also a 5th degree black belt, having studied Uechi-Ryu Karate-Do since 1982. He has competed on a regional and national level and won a Grand Championship in Kumite in 1993.
Tippett is a convert to Judaism and attends Temple Sinai in Sharon, Massachusetts. He and his wife Rhonda have three daugthers (Jenea, Asia and Madison) and one son (Coby).
References
- "Andre Tippett." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 3 Aug 2008, 04:04 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 3 Aug 2008 [1].
External links
- Tippet's biography at profootballhof.com
- Tippett's stats at databasefootball.com