Trace Armstrong
No. 93 | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. | October 5, 1965||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 275 lb (125 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | John Carroll Catholic (Birmingham, Alabama) | ||||||||||
College: | Florida | ||||||||||
NFL draft: | 1989 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Raymond Lester "Trace" Armstrong III (born October 5, 1965), is an American former professional
Early life
Armstrong was born in
College career
Armstrong accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, where he began his college career as a defensive tackle for the Arizona State Sun Devils football team. He red-shirted in 1984, and as a freshman in 1985 he played in ten games with three starts, totaling thirty-two tackles (two for a loss).
As a sophomore in
As a junior starter in 1987, Armstrong had a key role in the defeat of the Oregon State Beavers, when he sacked Erik Wilhelm in the end zone for a safety that began an 11–0 scoring run by the Sun Devils in sealing a 30–21 win. The 1987 Sun Devils finished No. 20 in the final AP poll after defeating Air Force in the 1987 Freedom Bowl. Armstrong ended the 1987 season with fifty-one tackles (ten for-a-loss including a team-leading seven sacks). He was an honorable mention All-American by both the AP and UPI.
Armstrong was denied a final year of eligibility by the NCAA due to an "academic mix-up," which he could only recoup if he transferred to another school. However, he was granted immediate eligibility after the NCAA waived its transfer rule in an unusual academic status case from high school which allowed the transfer.
As a result, Armstrong transferred to the
Armstrong ended his college career with 169 tackles, including thirty-two tackles for losses and fifteen quarterback sacks. He graduated from the University of Florida with a
Professional career
Height | Weight | Bench press |
---|---|---|
6 ft 3+1⁄2 in (1.92 m) |
256 lb (116 kg) |
20 reps |
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears selected Armstrong in the first round (12th overall pick) of the 1989 NFL Draft.[6] He played for the Bears for six seasons from 1989 to 1994.[7] He signed with the Bears on August 18, 1989; his total package was a reported $2.2 million over four years.
After the Bears' 47–27 victory at Detroit on September 27, 1989, Armstrong perhaps made his first NFL mark. After reporting late to training camp because of a contract dispute, and then struggling through the first two games of the season, Armstrong finally found his niche at left defensive end against the Lions, making five solo tackles, defending a pass and getting his first pro sack by dumping Lions quarterback Bob Gagliano. Armstrong finished his rookie season with five sacks and was voted All-Rookie. His teammates voted him the winner of the Brian Piccolo Award for "courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication, and sense of humor."
The following season, 1990, Armstrong notched ten sacks, the first of five seasons he reached double-digits. He was NFC Defensive Player of the Month in September 1990, in which he totaled twenty-five tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one pass defended.
In 1991, he recorded only 1.5 sacks, in part because although he was the starting left defensive end he moved to defensive tackle in the Bears "nickel defense," perhaps cutting down on his pass-rush opportunities. He was slated to play that spot again in 1992, however, the development of Alonzo Spellman allowed Armstrong to play end in all situations. As a result, his sack total was a 6.5.
On March 16, 1993, Armstrong re-signed a three-year $3 million deal with the Bears which was reported to make him one of the five highest-paid players on the team. In 1993, Armstrong notched 11.5 sacks and forced three fumbles. He was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for three tackles, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and two sacks in a
In 1994, his last in Chicago, he had 7.5 sacks. In the playoffs that season, against the Minnesota Vikings, January 1, 1995, Armstrong recorded both of the Bears' sacks in a 35–18 win over the Vikings for which he was awarded the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award.
Miami Dolphins
On April 4, 1995, the Dolphins traded a second and third-round draft pick for Armstrong. He was acquired to fill a role as a designated pass rusher, a player who comes into the game in likely passing downs in an effort to give the team's pass rush a boost. This is a role Armstrong filled the rest of his career; however, in five seasons, injuries to the starting ends forced Armstrong into a starting role. On October 12, 1995, Armstrong signed a five-year $8.9 million contract extension with the Dolphins.
In 1996, Armstrong started nine games and recorded twelve sacks. He remained the starter in 1997 and returned to the "designated rusher" role in 1998.
He was named as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Week for postseason games played January 8–9, 2000. In the Dolphins 20–17 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, January 9, 2000, Armstrong helped a defense which limited Seattle to 32 total yards in the second half. He registered five tackles, three sacks and one quarterback hurry on the day.
He led the AFC in quarterback sacks (16.5) in 2000 with the Miami Dolphins while recording 7 forced fumbles, also a career-high. He also made the Pro Bowl for the only time in his career. He did this despite not starting a single game, making him the first so-called designated pass rusher to go to the Pro Bowl since Fred Dean was voted to the 1983 post-season all-star game.
Oakland Raiders
Armstrong signed a free-agent contract with the Raiders in 2001. The Raiders offered him a six-year deal worth approximately $18.5 million. However, the first two years were to pay approximately $8 million, including a $5 million signing bonus. In his three years with the Raiders, Armstrong earned $9 million.
Armstrong sustained an Achilles tendon injury on September 30, 2001, causing him to miss the final thirteen games of the 2001 season. In 2002 and 2003, Armstrong was pressed into a starting role due to injuries of the so-called "run down defense" of the Raiders. He started eight games at right defensive end in 2002 after Tony Bryant was hurt, and he started seven games at left defensive end when Lorenzo Bromell was injured in 2003.
Armstrong suffered his own injuries in 2002 and 2003. In 2002 it was a groin injury that put him in the injured-reserve list and in 2003, he injured a shoulder in November which ended his 2003 season after ten games.
While in Oakland, he was the twentieth player in NFL history to record 100 career quarterback sacks, and finished his career with a total of 106.5. (When he retired, he was sixteenth in the all-time sack leader list.) Following the 2003 season, he was released from the Oakland Raiders after failing a physical due to several substantial injuries incurred while in Oakland and retired from the NFL afterwards. According to NFLPA records, in his fifteen NFL seasons Armstrong earned approximately $23 million in salary and bonuses.
NFL Players Association
While playing in the NFL, Armstrong served as the president of the
Life after the NFL
Armstrong formerly served as the agent for Penn State Nittany Lions coach
See also
- 1988 College Football All-America Team
- Florida Gators football, 1980–89
- History of the Oakland Raiders
- List of Chicago Bears first-round draft picks
- List of Chicago Bears players
- List of Florida Gators football All-Americans
- List of Florida Gators in the NFL Draft
- List of Miami Dolphins players
- List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members
References
- ^ National Football League, Historical Players, Trace Armstrong. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
- ^ databaseFootball.com, Players, Trace Armstrong Archived January 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
- ^ a b c d 2012 Florida Football Media Guide Archived May 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 76, 82, 87, 89, 95, 97, 98, 101, 104, 116, 158, 176 (2012). Retrieved September 14, 2012.
- ^ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
- ^ "Nine Selected to Florida Athletic Hall of Fame," GatorZone.com (November 3, 1999). Retrieved August 25, 2011.
- ^ "1989 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Trace Armstrong. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
- ^ Don Banks, "Attorney Smith elected NFLPA executive director in surprising [sic] vote," Sports Illustrated (March 15, 2009). Retrieved August 25, 2011.
External links
- Trace Armstrong profile Archived October 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine by the Oakland Raiders
- Picture of Armstrong as a Gator
Bibliography
- Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
- Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
- Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
- McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
- Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.