Darryl Talley
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| Darryl Talley | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | July 10, 1960 (age 46) |
| Place of birth |  Cleveland, Ohio |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 231 lb (105 kg) |
| Position(s) | LB |
| College | West Virginia |
| NFL Draft | 1983 / Round 2 / Pick 39 |
| Career Highlights | |
| Pro Bowls | 1990, 1991 |
| Stats | |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1983-1994 1995 1996 |
Buffalo Bills Atlanta Falcons Minnesota Vikings |
Darryl Victor Talley (born July 10, 1960 in East Cleveland, Ohio) is a former American football linebacker who played for the Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, and Minnesota Vikings.
[edit] College career
Talley started his football career at West Virginia University. In 1982, he was selected as an All-American. During his four year tenture, Talley amassed a school record of 484 career tackles. He was a starter from 1979 to 1982 and led the Mountaineers to the 1981 Peach Bowl and the 1982 Gator Bowl. Talley's five tackles for a loss against Penn State University stand as a single-game record. For his career, he had 282 unassisted tackles (first all-time), 202 assisted tackles (second), 28 tackles for loss (second) and 19 quarterback sacks (fourth). Talley was named Sports Illustrated Player of the Week for his 15 tackles versus Boston College. Against University of Pittsburgh, Talley intercepted Dan Marino to set up a Mountaineer field goal and blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown. He started the 1982 season off with a win over University of Oklahoma and was named WVU's MVP of the season and was named All-American. Talley also played in the 1983 Hula Bowl.
[edit] Pro career
Talley was selected in the second round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the Bills and played in Buffalo for 12 seasons. He is the Bills' all-time leading tackler with 1,137, and also recorded 38.5 sacks, 12 interceptions for 189 return yards and 2 touchdowns, and 14 fumble recoveries for 76 return yards. He averaged 120 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 6.2 takeaways per season and his mark of 188 regular season games played ranks fifth-most in team history.
In the NFL, Talley continued to hunt down Dan Marino who played for the Miami Dolphins. During a 1983 38-35 overtime victory, Darryl sacked Marino five times. Talley played in the Bills' four Super Bowls and played in two Pro Bowls himself. Darryl left the Bills to play with the Falcons in the 1995 campaign and then with the Vikings. He ended his career after the 1996 season and won the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Distinguished Service Award in 2000.
[edit] Trivia
Talley was known on the field as "The Duke of Awesome", "Spiderman", and "The Hammer". His cheering section at Rich Stadium was known as the "Talley-Whackers" and he remains one of the most popular and most loved players in Bills history.
Talley achieved great notoriety throughout the NFL for his remarkable physical unattractiveness. In 2006, on the weekly HBO football wrap show Inside the NFL, commentator and former quarterback Dan Marino said that the ugliest play he had ever seen on a football field was Darryl Talley taking off his helmet.
