Phil Villapiano
| No. 41 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: |
February 26, 1949 Long Branch, New Jersey | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Ocean Township | ||||||
| College: | Bowling Green State | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1971 / Round: 2 / Pick: 45 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Philip James Villapiano (born February 26, 1949) is a former American football linebacker who played 13 seasons in the NFL.
Early life
Villapiano played college football at Bowling Green State University, and high school football at both Asbury Park High School and Ocean Township High School in Monmouth County, New Jersey.[1][2] While at Bowling Green, he was the Mid-America Conference Player of the Year.
Career
He was AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1971, All-NFL in 1975 and 1976, and All-AFC from 1972-1976. Phil also played in four Pro Bowls and was a member of the Oakland Raiders Super Bowl XI winning team. One of the fastest linebackers of his era, Phil specialized in making big plays - none bigger than his momentum changing goal-line tackle against the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI, where he forced the fumble that was recovered by Willie Hall. In March 2018, Villapiano was inducted into the Reese’s Senior Bowl Hall of Fame. The next month Phil was voted as the Jersey Shore’s Greatest Sports Personality Winner. Phil Villapiano was also selected as a 2019 Senior Class candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Phil has three children; Andrea, Phil, and Michael. Michael was a quarterback at Brown University. His wife, Susan, died of breast cancer on November 22, 2016.
References
- ↑ Phil Villapiano Archived 2008-10-07 at the Wayback Machine., database Football. Accessed December 15, 2007.
- ↑ Harvin, Al. "An Offseason Game; New Jersey Sports", The New York Times, January 12, 1973. Accessed November 16, 2008. "Some of the other Jersey residents on the team, according to Davis, are Bob Tucker, the New York Giants' tight end from Lincroft; Phil Villapiano, Oakland Raider linebacker from Ocean Township, and Ron Johnson, Giant running back, now a resident of Fort Lee."