Joe Looney (offensive lineman)

Joe Looney
refer to caption
Looney with the Dallas Cowboys in 2017
No. 73 – Dallas Cowboys
Position: Center
Personal information
Born: (1990-08-31) August 31, 1990
Lake Worth, Florida
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 315 lb (143 kg)
Career information
High school: Lake Worth
(Lake Worth, Florida)
College: Wake Forest
NFL Draft: 2012 / Round: 4 / Pick: 117
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2018
Games played: 64
Games started: 18
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Joe Looney (born August 31, 1990) is an American football center for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wake Forest University and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Early years

Looney was raised in Lake Worth, Florida. At the age of six, he already weighed 120 pounds, so he had to play football with boys who were as much as twice his age.[1]

He attended Lake Worth Community High School, where he was a four-year starter at offensive tackle. He was named second-team all-state as a junior. He received All-Palm Beach County and All-state Class 6A honors as a senior in 2008.[2]

College career

Looney accepted a football scholarship from Wake Forest University. As a true freshman, he became a starter at left guard in the seventh game against the University of Miami, after Trey Bailey broke his ankle against the University of Maryland and Russell Nenon was moved from left guard to center.

As a sophomore, he started 11 out of 12 games at left guard. The next year he started 10 games at left guard, missing 2 contests while recovering from a sprained ankle.

As a senior, he started all 13 games at left guard. He finished his college career with 41 starts out of 48 games over four years. He received a late invitation to play in the Senior Bowl,[3] but he suffered a foot injury during practice[4] and was unable to participate in the NFL Combine or Wake Forest's pro day.[5]

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Looney was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round (117th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft, after trading a sixth round pick (#196-Jonte Green) to the Detroit Lions in order to move up 8 slots.[5][6] As a rookie, he spent the entire season on the inactive list.

In 2013, he appeared in 4 games as a backup and was inactive for 12 contests and all 3 playoff games.

In 2014, he appeared in 15 games with 4 starts, including 2 starts at right guard, one at center and one at left guard, helping the offense finish fourth in the NFL in rushing with 2,176 yards. He was released on September 4, 2015.[7]

Tennessee Titans

On October 20, 2015, Looney was signed by the Tennessee Titans for depth purposes, after center Brian Schwenke was placed on the injured reserve list.[8] He appeared in 8 games with 6 starts (3 at center and 3 at left guard).[9] He dressed but did not play in 3 games.

Dallas Cowboys

On March 29, 2016, the Dallas Cowboys signed Looney as a free agent to a two-year contract,[9] to replace the recently departed Mackenzy Bernadeau, as a versatile backup that could play any of the interior positions along the offensive line. He replaced an injured Ronald Leary at left guard in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns. After Geoff Swaim was injured against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he began to be used as a blocking tight end in short yardage situations. He helped rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott become the rushing NFL leader and was one the offensive linemen that Elliott gave an ATV as a gift at the end of the season.

In 2017, he appeared in all 16 games as a backup. On March 26, 2018, Looney re-signed with the Cowboys on a two-year contract.[10]

Personal life

Looney's younger brother, James, was also a star lineman at Lake Worth, and also decided to attend Wake Forest before transferring to California in 2014. Their father played college football at Louisville.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Ryan Calhoun, "Joe Looney, San Francisco 49ers, playing in Super Bowl XLVII: His family couldn't be more excited", WPTV-TV, January 31, 2013.
  2. ↑ Dan Collins, "Deacons will be replacing key veterans", Winston-Salem Journal, August 1, 2008.
  3. ↑ Heather Dinich, "Wake lineman gets late invite to Senior Bowl", ESPN.com, January 24, 2012.
  4. ↑ Brett Friedlander, "Big break turns into a bad break for Wake Forest’s Looney", Star-News, January 25, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Eric Branch, "Fourth round: 49ers trade up for Wake Forest G Looney", SFGate.com, April 28, 2012.
  6. ↑ Matt Barrows, "Round 4: 49ers trade UP to take Wake Forest G Joe Looney", Sacramento Bee, April 28, 2012.
  7. ↑ Alper, Josh (September 4, 2015). "49ers release Philip Wheeler, Joe Looney and Craig Dahl". NBCSports.com. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Titans place center Brian Schwenke on IR, add Joe Looney". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Cowboys Add Offensive Line Depth By Signing Veteran OG/C Joe Looney". Dallas Cowboys. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  10. ↑ "Cowboys re-sign OL Joe Looney to the team". 247sports.com. March 26, 2018.
  11. ↑ Dan Collins, "Wake Forest football lands another Looney", Winston-Salem Journal, November 2, 2012.
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