Alvis Russell Darby (born September 14, 1954) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

for two seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). Darby played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

, and was chosen by the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

in the sixth round of the

1976 NFL draft The 1976 NFL draft was an annual player selection meeting held April 8–9, 1976, at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City, New York. The draft lasted 17 rounds, with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks making the first two ...

. He also played in the NFL for the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

and

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

Early life

Darby was born in

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

.National Football League, Historical Players
Al Darby
Retrieved August 18, 2014. He attended Miami Edison High School,Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players
Al Darby
Retrieved August 18, 2014. and played high school football for the Miami Edison Red Raiders.Hubert Mizell, "Edison 'Controls' State Grid Finals," ''Naples Daily News'', p. 4B (December 20, 1970). Retrieved August 18, 2014. In the 1970 Florida Class AA state championship game, he had a 62-yard touchdown reception, contributing to the Edison Red Raiders' 42–22 victory over Fort Pierce Central.

College career

Darby accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...

, where he played for coach Doug Dickey's Gators teams from

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

.
2013 Florida Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 95, 102, 106, 130, 177 (2013). Retrieved August 18, 2014. He played in 35 games for the Gators, starting as a tight end as a sophomore and senior, but filling the wide receiver's slot as a junior.Sports-Reference.com, College Football, Players

Retrieved August 18, 2014. On a Gators team that emphasized Doug Dickey's running game and option over the passing the game, Darby compiled 314 yards and four touchdowns on 22 receptions, with an average of 14.3 yards per catch. During his three seasons as a Gator, the team appeared in three consecutive post-season

bowl game In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games primarily played by NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. For most of its history, the FBS did not use a playoff tourname ...

s for the first time in its history. Memorably, he had a 32-yard reception in the 1974

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed only ...

Professional career

The NFL expansion

franchise chose Darby in the sixth round, with the 157th overall pick, of the

.Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History
1976 National Football League Draft
. Retrieved August 18, 2014. During his 1976 rookie season, he appeared in one game for the Seahawks and two more for the

. He did not play during the 1977 NFL season, but appeared in six games for the

in 1978.

References

Bibliography

*
2013 Florida Football Media Guide
', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida (2013). * Carlson, Norm, ''University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators'', Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). . * Golenbock, Peter, ''Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory'', Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). . * Hairston, Jack, ''Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told'', Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). . * McCarthy, Kevin M.,
Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football
', Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). . * McEwen, Tom, ''The Gators: A Story of Florida Football'', The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). . * Nash, Noel, ed., ''The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football'', Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). . * Proctor, Samuel, & Wright Langley, ''Gator History: A Pictorial History of the University of Florida'', South Star Publishing Company, Gainesville, Florida (1986). . {{DEFAULTSORT:Darby, Al 1954 births Living people Players of American football from Miami American football tight ends Florida Gators football players Seattle Seahawks players Houston Oilers players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Miami Edison Senior High School alumni

Early life

College career

Professional career

See also

References

Bibliography