Andre Tippett

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Andre Tippett
Date of birth	December 27, 1959 (age 47)
Place of birth	Birmingham, Alabama
Position(s)	Linebacker
College	Iowa
NFL Draft	1982 / Round 2/ Pick 41
Career Highlights
Pro Bowls	5
Awards	1985 UPI AFL-AFC Defensive MVP
Honors	NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
Stats
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1982-1993	New England Patriots

Andre Bernard Tippett (born December 27, 1959, in Birmingham, Alabama), is a former American football linebacker who played for the New England Patriots of the NFL. He went to the University of Iowa, where he was an All-American.

1 Personal life
2 College Football
3 Professional Football
4 Awards
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Personal life

Tippett is a martial arts expert and is a 4th degree black belt and certified instructor. He received all of his training under Sensei Steve Banchick. Tippett has studied Uechi-Ryu Karate-Do since 1982 and has also had intensive training in Okinawa. Andre Tippett has also trained privately with Sensei Toshihiro Oshiro in Yamanni Ryu, which is an Okinawan Kobudo system. Andre has been a member of the Ryukyu Bujutsu Kenkyu Doyukai (RBKD). Yamanni Ryu (also Yamanni-Chinen Ryu) whose main weapon is Bo. The sai, tonfa, nunchaku and Kama are studied as secondary weapons. Tippett has also competed in A.A.U on a National level in Kata, Kumite,and Kobudo. He has also competed on the westcoast at the Annual Ozawa International Traditional Karate Tournament,Okinawan Uechi-Ryu Karate Championship in Antioch,Ca.

He is a convert to Judaism. Tippett attends Temple Sinai in Sharon, Massachusetts.^[1]

[edit] College Football

Tippett was an All-American DE/OLB at the University of Iowa. In 1981 he helped lead the Hawkeyes to their first winning season, their first Big Ten title, and first Rose Bowl in two decades.

[edit] Professional Football

--He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 1st round of the 1982 draft.

--Tippett is a member of the NFL’s 1980s all-decade team. The five other linebackers on the team are already in the Hall of Fame (Lawrence Taylor, Mike Singletary, Harry Carson, Ted Hendricks and Jack Lambert.)

--Tippett was selected to five Pro Bowls in his career, earning the nod in five straight seasons from 1984-88.

--From 1984-85, Tippett recorded the highest two-season sack total by a linebacker in NFL history, totaling 35.0 sacks during the two seasons. His 18.5 sacks in 1984 are the third most by any linebacker in a single season, while his 16.5 sacks in 1985 are tied for the sixth most by any linebacker in NFL history. He achieved the feat despite playing primarily on the strong side, lining up opposite of a tight end, in an era where most successful pass-rushers lined up on the weak side.

--Tippett ranked seventh on the all-time sacks list at the time of his retirement following the 1993 season.

--Tippett ranked third among linebackers on the all-time sacks list at the time of his retirement following the 1993 season.

--Over his career, Tippett recorded 100 sacks in 151 games, an average of 0.662 sacks per game. The mark currently ranks fourth in NFL history among linebackers.

--Tippett was named the NFL’s linebacker of the year by the NFL Players Association for three straight seasons from 1985-87. He was also named to the Associated Press All-NFL First Team on two occasions (1985, 1987).

--Tippett holds the Patriots’ franchise record with 100.0 career sacks. He also owns the top three single-season sack performances in Patriots history (18.5 in 1984, 16.5 in 1985 and 12.5 in 1987).

--Tippett recovered 17 opponents’ fumbles during his career, tying him for first on the Patriots’ all-time list (Steve Nelson). He also forced 14 fumbles in his career.

--Tippett spent his entire 11-year career with the Patriots and was a member of three playoff teams, including the 1985 AFC Champions.

--Tippett was selected to the Patriots’ 35th Anniversary Team in 1994 and was selected to the Patriots Team of the Century in 2000.

--After not recording a sack as a rookie in 1982, Tippett finished either first or second on the team in sacks in each of his final 10 seasons. He led the team in sacks six times and finished second on the team four times.

--Tippett recorded 30 multiple-sack games in his career and sacked a total of 37 different quarterbacks

[edit] Awards

Tippett was inducted into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame in 1999.

Tippett, a five-time Pro Bowler and a member of the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade Team, was named as one of 17 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2007. Tippett, a first-time finalist, joined 14 other modern-era players and two players selected by the Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee in the pool from which this year’s Hall of Fame class was selected. The Hall of Fame’s 40-member Selection Committee met in Miami on Saturday, Feb. 3 to choose between three and six players from the finalist pool for induction to the Hall of Fame. Tippett was not selected for enshrinement, but made the cut when the list of 17 candidates was whittled down to the top 10 finalists.