Tony Brackens

Tony Brackens
No. 90
Position: Defensive End
Personal information
Date of birth: (1974-12-26) December 26, 1974
Place of birth: Fairfield, Texas
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight: 267 lb (121 kg)
Career information
High school: Fairfield High School
College: Texas
NFL draft: 1996 / Round: 2 / Pick: 33
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles: 469
Quarterback sacks: 55.0
Forced fumbles: 28
Interceptions: 5
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Tony Lynn Brackens, Jr. (born December 26, 1974) is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the University of Texas, and earned All-American honors. A second-round pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, he played for the Jacksonville Jaguars for his entire pro football career.

Early years

Brackens was born and raised in Fairfield, Texas. He attended Fairfield High School, and played for the Fairfield Eagles high school football team.

College career

Brackens attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he played for the Texas Longhorns football team from 1992 to 1995. He developed a reputation as a ferocious hitter as a defensive end. As senior in 1995, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American and was also a first-team All-Southwest Conference selection. He finished his career ranked eighth on the Longhorns' all-time list with 24 sacks. He was also a key contributor to the 1995 Longhorns team that went 10-1 and won the Southwest Conference and gained a berth in the 1996 Sugar Bowl against the Virginia Tech Hokies.[1]

Professional career

He was taken in the second round of the 1996 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, for whom he played his entire professional career. His lone Pro Bowl appearance came in 2000, after the 1999 season in which he had 12 sacks and 8 forced fumbles. As of 2011, he held the all-time Jacksonville Jaguars records for several categories: sacks (55), fumble recoveries (13) and forced fumbles (28). He is also the leading tackler (all-time) among Jaguars defensive ends.

He was released in 2004, after a series of troubling leg injuries and operations. About his release, Brackens stated, "Mentally and physically, I thought I could probably still do it, but I didn’t want to put up with all the rule changes. All the stuff they’re doing to players takes the fun out of the game."[2] The moment in which he was let go was captured by NFL Films in "Jacksonville Jaguars: Inside the Training Camp", an unofficial version of the Hard Knocks TV series.[3]

NFL stats

Year Team Games Combined Tackles Tackles Assisted Tackles Sacks Forced Fumbles Fumble Recoveries
1996 JAX 16 55 45 10 7.0 5 3
1997 JAX 15 41 38 3 7.0 5 1
1998 JAX 12 39 27 12 3.5 1 3
1999 JAX 16 66 53 13 12.0 8 2
2000 JAX 16 61 53 8 7.5 2 2
2001 JAX 12 42 39 3 11.0 5 1
2002 JAX 5 11 9 2 1.0 0 1
2003 JAX 15 38 32 6 6.0 2 0
Career 107 353 296 57 55.0 28 13

[4]

External links

  1. ↑ http://www.texassports.com/genrel/brackens_tony00.html
  2. ↑ http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2011-07-22/story/where-are-they-now-former-jaguar-tony-brackens
  3. ↑ http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/082304/jag_16436812.shtml
  4. ↑ "Tony Brackens Stats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
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