Anthony Eugene Prior (born March 27, 1970) 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 ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

who played six 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) with the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

, and

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

. He was selected by 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

in the ninth round of the

1992 NFL draft The 1992 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 April 26–27, 1992, at the Marriott M ...

after playing

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 ...

Washington State University Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...

. Prior also played for the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

and

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL).

Early life

Anthony Eugene Prior was born on March 27, 1970, in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...

. He attended

Rubidoux High School Rubidoux High School is a four-year public high school in Jurupa Valley, California. It is part of the Jurupa Unified School District, and it opened in 1959. It is one of four high schools in the district, the others being Jurupa Valley High Scho ...

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...

College career

Prior was a member of the

Washington State Cougars The Washington State Cougars (known informally as the Cougs) are the sport, athletic teams that represent Washington State University. Located in Pullman, Washington, WSU is a member of the Pac-12 Conference in NCAA Division I. The athletic pr ...

from 1988 to 1991 and a three-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

from 1989 to 1991. He returned two kicks for 23 yards and one punt for 17 yards in 1989. He returned 20 kicks for 424 yards and a

Pacific-10 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...

-tying one touchdown in 1990. Prior totaled one interception and 22 kick returns for 530 yards and one touchdown his senior year in 1991. His one kick return touchdown was tied for most in the country that season.

Professional career

Prior was selected by the

in the ninth round, with the 238th overall pick, of the

. He officially signed with the team on July 21. He was released on August 25, 1992. Prior was signed to the practice squad of the

on September 9, 1992. He was released on September 29, 1992. He re-signed with the Jets in 1993. He played in all 16 games for the Jets during the 1993 season, recording four tackles, nine kick returns for 126 yards, and one fumble recovery. Prior appeared in 13 games in 1994, totaling four solo tackles, one assisted tackle, and 16 kick returns for 316 yards. He played in 11 games in 1995, posting one solo tackle. He was released by the Jets on March 1, 1996. Prior was signed by the

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

on March 14, 1996. He was released on July 15, 1996. He signed with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the 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 ...

on July 19, 1996, but was released on August 20, 1996. Prior was signed by the

on December 4, 1996, and played in three games for the team during the 1996 season. He also appeared in one playoff game that year. He became a free agent after the season and re-signed with the Vikings on April 9, 1997. Prior played in 12 games during the 1997 season before being placed on injured reserve on November 29, 1997. He was released on February 2, 1998. Prior signed with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

on April 6, 1998. He was released on August 25, 1998. Prior was signed by the

on November 4, 1998. He played in four games for the Raiders in 1998 before being released on December 2, 1998. Prior started all 18 games for the

of the

(CFL) in 2000, recording 75 defensive tackles, one special teams tackle, four interceptions, 14 pass breakups, and four kickoff returns for 91 yards. The Stampeders finished the year with a 12–5–1 and lost in the West Final to the

. He started all 18 games for the second straight season in 2001, totaling 40 defensive tackles, two special teams tackles, one interception, 14 pass breakups, and one forced fumble. The Stampeders finished the season with an 8–10 record. However, they ended up advancing to the

89th Grey Cup The 89th Grey Cup (Canadian Football League championship) was held in 2001 CFL season, 2001 in Montreal. The Calgary Stampeders claimed their fifth championship in team history with a 27–19 win over the Canadian Football League East Division, ...

on November 25, 2001, where they defeated the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

. Prior played in 13 games for the

of the CFL in 2002, accumulating 32 defensive tackles, six special teams tackles, one interception, and four pass breakups. He returned to the Stampeders in 2003 and appeared in ten games for them that season, recording 25 defensive tackles and three pass breakups.

Personal life

In 2003, Prior released a book titled ''Faith on 40 Yards: Behind the Silver & Gold of the NFL''. In 2006, he released another book on the NFL called ''The Slave Side of Sunday''.

References

External links

Stats Crew profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prior, Anthony Living people 1970 births Players of American football from Middlesex County, Massachusetts American football cornerbacks Washington State Cougars football players New York Jets players Minnesota Vikings players Oakland Raiders players Calgary Stampeders players BC Lions players Sportspeople from Lowell, Massachusetts 21st-century American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen Players of Canadian football from Massachusetts Players of American football from Riverside, California New York Giants players Cincinnati Bengals players San Francisco 49ers players Kansas City Chiefs players Canadian football defensive backs 21st-century American male writers African-American male writers Writers from Lowell, Massachusetts