Alonzo Highsmith
| New England Patriots | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Senior personnel Executive | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Born: | February 26, 1965 Christopher Columbus (Miami, Florida) | ||
| College: | Miami (FL) | ||
| NFL draft: | 1987 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3 | ||
| Career history | |||
| As a player: | |||
| As an executive: | |||
| |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
| Career NFL statistics | |||
| |||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||
Alonzo Walter Highsmith, Sr. (born February 26, 1965) is an
Early years
Highsmith attended
College career
Highsmith accepted a scholarship from the
In 1984, Jimmy Johnson arrived as the new head coach and named him a starter as a sophomore, rushing for a team leading 906 yards on 146 carries (6.2 average) and 11 touchdowns. One of the hardest working players on the team, he would develop into a complete fullback that could run, block and catch.
As a junior, he registered 451 rushing yards on 117 carries (3.9 average) and 6 touchdowns, including a school record 88-yard touchdown reception against East Carolina University. In his last year, he was recognized as the nation's best fullback, while posting 442 rushing yards (led the team) on 105 carries (4.2 average) and 8 touchdowns.
Highsmith finished his college career with 1,914 rushing yards (second in school history), 2,935 all-purpose yards (fifth in school history), 25 career touchdowns (tied for first in school history) and five 100-yard rushing games (tied for second in school history).
In 1997, he was inducted into the
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+7⁄8 in (1.85 m) |
236 lb (107 kg) |
33 in (0.84 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
34.0 in (0.86 m) |
9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) |
27 reps | ||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[1] | ||||||||||||
Houston Oilers
Highsmith was selected by the
In
During the
Dallas Cowboys
Although he had started 40 straight games with the Houston Oilers, he had a series of offseason knee surgeries that had doctors recommending against the Dallas Cowboys acquiring him in 1990.[5] Head coach Jimmy Johnson, knowing Highsmith from his playing days at the University of Miami, ignored the medical advice regarding a potentially career-ending knee condition[5] and went ahead with the proposed trade on September 3.[6]
He played in 7 games (5 starts) as the lead blocker for rookie Emmitt Smith before being placed on the injured reserve list after not being able to fully recover from his previous knee surgery.[7] He had 19 carries for 48 yards and 3 receptions for 13 yards.
The next year, he had a contract holdout, that forced him to miss most of
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On October 3, 1991, Highsmith was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[9] Due to his chronic knee condition, he was released on October 7, 1992.[10]
Highsmith retired after playing in 65 games, posting 283 rushing attempts for 1,195 yards (4.2 avg.) and 7 touchdowns. He also had 42 receptions for 428 yards (10.2 avg.) and 3 touchdowns.
Boxing career
Following his football career, Highsmith became a professional boxer.[11] Over a four-year career, Highsmith amassed a 27–1–2 record in the heavyweight division. Twenty three of those victories came by way of knockout.
One of Highsmith's opponents in professional boxing was another former NFL player turned boxer, Mark Gastineau.
Front office
In 2012, he accepted a Senior Personnel Executive position in the front office of the Green Bay Packers.
On January 2, 2018, it was reported that he would be joining the Cleveland Browns as their vice president of football operations.[12] On January 10, it was confirmed that Highsmith would join the Browns, just as the Vice President of Player Personnel.[13]
After consulting for the Seattle Seahawks in the 2020 offseason, he accepted a full-time position as a personnel executive with the team on June 12, 2020.[14]
On May 26, 2022, Highsmith was hired by the Miami Hurricanes to serve as the general manager of football operations.[15]
On February 7, 2024, he was hired by the New England Patriots to serve as a personnel executive.[16]
Personal life
His father,
One of Highsmith's sons, also named
References
- ^ "Alonzo Highsmith, Combine Results, -". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ "1987 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ "Highsmith To Agree On Deal". Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "Cowboys trade for Alonzo Highsmith". UPI.com. September 3, 1990. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ a b "Alonzo is Gonzo". Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "Cowboys Get Highsmith From Oilers". Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ "Transactions". Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "Transactions". Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "Buccaneers claim Highsmith". Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "Transactions". Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "Ex-'cane Highsmith Fighting In Camacho Undercard". Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ Demovsky, Rob (January 3, 2018). "Alonzo Highsmith leaves Packers front office to be Browns' VP of football operations". espn.com. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^ "Browns hire Eliot Wolf as assistant GM and Alonzo Highsmith as VP of Player Personnel". cleveland.com. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ Ray, Meredith (June 12, 2020). "Seahawks Add Alonzo Highsmith In Scouting Department Role". Seahawks.com. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "University of Miami Hires Alonzo Highsmith as General Manager of Football Operations". May 26, 2022.
- ^ The Athletic Staff. "Patriots to add Highsmith as front office executive". The Athletic. Retrieved February 7, 2024.