Ozzie Newsome Jr. (born March 16, 1956) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

player and executive who is the executive vice president of player personnel of the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL). Newsome was a

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...

of the

(NFL). He was inducted into both the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vo ...

(1994) and the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

(1999). He is also the former general manager of the

(1996–2018) and now serves as a behind-the-scenes executive with the team. Newsome is widely regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time.

College career

Newsome played for

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

, where he started for all four years of his college career. Nicknamed "The Wizard of Oz," Newsome made the

College Football All-America Team The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best college football players in the United States at their respective positions. The original use of the term ''All-America'' seems to have been to the 1889 College Football ...

in 1977 and assisted the Crimson Tide to a 42–6 overall record during his four seasons. In total, Newsome amassed 102 receptions for 2,070 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns, while also returning 40 punts for 301 yards. His 20.3 average yards per catch was a

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

record for over 20 years. Newsome was named the Alabama Player of the Decade for the 1970s. He was a two-time All-SEC player (in 1976 and 1977), and named SEC Lineman of the Year in 1977 by the Birmingham Quarterback Club and the Atlanta Touchdown Club. In 1994, Newsome was enshrined in the

. Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant called him "the greatest end in Alabama history and that includes Don Hutson. A total team player, fine blocker, outstanding leader, great receiver with concentration, speed, hands."

Professional career

Newsome was drafted in the first round with the 23rd pick in the

1978 NFL Draft The 1978 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 2–3, 1978, at the Roosevelt Hote ...

for the

. He was named the Browns' Offensive Player of the Year his rookie year, the first time in 25 years that a rookie had received that honor. Newsome went to the Pro Bowl in 1981, 1984 and 1985. In 1984, Newsome set a franchise record for receiving yards in a game (191) that stood for 29 years until it was broken in

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by Josh Gordon (who recorded 237 and 261 yards in back-to-back games). In 1986, Newsome won the Ed Block Courage Award for playing with injuries, and in 1990, he won the

Byron "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award The NFLPA Alan Page Community Award (APC) has been awarded by the National Football League Players Association continuously since 1967. Previously named the Byron "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award, after Byron "Whizzer" White, the award w ...

for his community service. Though he was never able to play in a Super Bowl, Cleveland made the playoffs seven times during Newsome's career, and made three trips to the AFC championship game. Newsome finished his career with 662 receptions and 7,980 yards, both Cleveland franchise records, and 47 touchdowns, fifth all-time. In 1999, Newsome was inducted into the

Football executive

Newsome was a front office executive with the

from 1991 until their relocation to Baltimore in 1996; he has remained an executive with the

since their inaugural season. On November 22, 2002, Newsome was named the first

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

of the Ravens, making him the

first African-American African-Americans are an ethnic group in the United States. The first achievements by African-Americans in diverse fields have historically marked footholds, often leading to more widespread cultural change. The shorthand phrase for this is "brea ...

to occupy that position in the NFL. Newsome earned his first Super Bowl ring when the Ravens defeated the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

34–7 in Super Bowl XXXV in 2001, and earned a second ring after the Ravens defeated the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's Nationa ...

in Super Bowl XLVII by a score of 34–31 in 2013. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti announced on February 2, 2018, that Newsome would step down following the 2018 season and assistant general manager Eric DeCosta would become the team's new GM. Although DeCosta is the team's general manager, Newsome is still employed by the Ravens in an active and significant role and he is listed as Executive Vice President on the Ravens Official Website.

Other awards

In 2003, Newsome received the United States Sports Academy's highest honor, the Eagle Award, in recognition of his significant contributions to international sport. Newsome is a member of the Cleveland Browns' "Ring of Honor", becoming a member of the first class inducted on September 19, 2010.

References

External links

Baltimore Ravens bio
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Newsome, Ozzie 1956 births Living people American football tight ends American sports executives and administrators Alabama Crimson Tide football players Baltimore Ravens executives Cleveland Browns executives Cleveland Browns players National Football League general managers All-American college football players American Conference Pro Bowl players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees People from Muscle Shoals, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama African-American players of American football African-American sports executives and administrators 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople Ed Block Courage Award recipients