Bradley D. Hopkins (born September 5, 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 ...

player who was a

left tackle A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and Defensive tackle, defense. In the modern system of ...

for 13 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), all of them with the Houston Oilers / Tennessee Titans organization. He 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

Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the College athletics, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's Varsity team, varsity sports. The university op ...

Early years

Hopkins was an outstanding two-sport athlete at

Moline High School Moline High School is a public four-year high school located in Moline, Illinois, a city in Rock Island County, in the Midwest area of the United States. The school is the only public high school in the city of Moline, and is part of Moline-C ...

, lettering in football as well as basketball. In football, Hopkins played on both offense and defense, playing on the defensive line as well as at tight end. In basketball, Hopkins played power forward, and was in the same lineup as future

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

shot-blocker and NBA first-round draft pick

Acie Earl Acie Boyd Earl (born June 23, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player, who appeared in four National Basketball Association (NBA) seasons, as a , center. He also played many seasons in Europe. High school/college Born in P ...

College

Hopkins received a scholarship to play football for the

and was recruited by

John Mackovic John Mackovic (born October 1, 1943) is an American football coach. He was most recently the head coach of the Italy national American football team from 2014-2023, which was formed to compete in the EFAF European Championship. Previously, Ma ...

. As a freshman, Hopkins was a reserve offensive lineman, blocking for future NFL overall first pick

Jeff George Jeffrey Scott George (born December 8, 1967) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini, winning the Samm ...

. George guided the Illini to the

1990 Florida Citrus Bowl The 1990 Florida Citrus Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game at the Florida Citrus Bowl stadium in Orlando, Florida between the University of Illinois Fighting Illini and the Virginia Cavaliers on January 1, 1990. The game ...

against the

Virginia Cavaliers The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as Wahoos or Hoos, are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic Coast C ...

after a 9–2 record, second only to the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

in the Big Ten Conference. His sophomore year, Hopkins became a starter, and started ten games at left tackle for quarterback

Jason Verduzco Jason A. Verduzco (born April 3, 1970) is an American former professional football quarterback who played one season with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Cha ...

. The Illini posted an 8–4 record, tied for first in the Big Ten and went to the

Hall of Fame Bowl The ReliaQuest Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Tampa, Florida. The event was known as the Hall of Fame Bowl from 1986 to 1995 and the Outback Bowl from 1996 to 2022. It was held at Tampa Stadium from 1986 until 1999, when it ...

, losing to the

Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level (NCAA Divis ...

. The following season, in 1991, Hopkins started all 12 games once again protecting Verduzco, and received All-Big Ten honors. The team posted a 6–6 record, good for fifth place in the Big Ten, and a trip to the 1991 John Hancock Bowl. His senior year, Hopkins was selected team captain by first-year coach

Lou Tepper Lou Tepper (born September 7, 1945) is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1991 to 1996, the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, from 2000 to 2005, and ...

, along with John Wright and Steven Mueller. He started all 12 games at left tackle and was named

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

as well as All-Big Ten. The Illini played in the 1992 Holiday Bowl, finishing with a 6–5–1 season. Hopkins graduated from

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

with a degree in Speech Communications.

Professional

Hopkins was selected in the first round of the

1993 NFL draft The 1993 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 25–26, 1993, at the Marriot M ...

by 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 ...

. In his rookie season, Hopkins started eleven games at left tackle and was named first-team All-Rookie by several organization

Hopkins started all sixteen games for the Oilers for the 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1999 seasons, blocking for fellow Big Ten alumnus

Eddie George Edward Nathan George Jr. (born September 24, 1973) is an American college American football, football coach and former running back who is the head football coach at Bowling Green Falcons football, Bowling Green State University. He previously ...

. In 1999, the Titans made it to

Super Bowl XXXIV Super Bowl XXXIV was an American football game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 30, 2000, to determine the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1999 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion ...

in which Hopkins started, however they lost to the

Kurt Warner Kurtis Eugene Warner (born June 22, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. His career, whi ...

-led

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

. In 2000, Hopkins earned a trip to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

, starting in all but one game for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

. Hopkins was part of an offensive line that allowed the third-lowest number of sacks in the NFL, and George gained over 1,500 yards rushing. That season, the Titans finished with a 13–3 record, winning the AFC Central Division, but lost to the

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

in the first round of the playoffs. Hopkins continued starting for the Titans, and earned another trip to the Pro Bowl in 2003, starting all sixteen games for the fifth time in his career. The Titans were propelled by a high-powered offense with

Steve McNair Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),Steve McNair Found Dead

and

, which scored 30 points in six consecutive games – a franchise record. He announced his retirement from football on June 14, 2006. Along with

Steve McNair Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),Steve McNair Found Dead

, he was the last player left from the Houston Oilers. He currently works as an analyst for SiruisXM's ESPNU, B1G, ACC, SEC, Mad Dog Radio and NFL Radio. He is the father of

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

tight end

Brycen Hopkins Brycen Avery Hopkins (born March 27, 1997) is an American professional football tight end. He played college football at Purdue, and was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft. Early life Hopkins grew up in ...

References

External links

* http://www.nflplayers.com/players/player.aspx?id=20032 * https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/HopkBr00.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Brad 1970 births Living people American football offensive tackles Houston Oilers players Tennessee Oilers players Tennessee Titans players American Conference Pro Bowl players Illinois Fighting Illini football players Players of American football from Columbia, South Carolina 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen