Bryan Craig Caldwell (May 6, 1960 – January 3, 2015) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

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) for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

and

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 ...

. 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 ...

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

Early life

Caldwell attended Fountain Valley High School, where he was a two-way lineman and set a school record with 20 sacks in 2 years. He was considered one of the nation's top defensive recruits and received All-county honors. He also practiced track and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

College career

Caldwell accepted a football scholarship from

. As a sophomore in 1979, he was named the starter at left defensive end. In October, he received heavy criticism after publicly confirming to athletic director Fred Miller, that head football coach

Frank Kush Frank Joseph Kush (January 20, 1929 – June 22, 2017) was an American football player and coach. As a player he earned All-American honors in 1952 as a defensive lineman playing for the Michigan State Spartans. He was head coach at Arizona S ...

punched punter Kevin Rutledge. As a junior in 1980, he was moved to right

. He registered 111 total tackles (fourth on the team) and 5 fumble recoveries (school record). He also blocked a punt and returned it for a 46-yard

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

against

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

. In 1981, he missed the spring semester while attending

Mesa Community College Mesa Community College (MCC) is a Public college, public community college in Mesa, Arizona. It is the largest of the 10 community colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District, the largest community college district in the Unite ...

to regain his academic eligibility. He returned to the team in August, but was ruled academically ineligible to play football for the season. Jim Jeffcoat was moved from

nose tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

to right defensive end to replace him. As a senior in 1982, he returned to play and was named the starter at left defensive end over Walt Bowyer. He was a part of the number one ranked defense in the nation, known as the Cactus Crunch. He played alongside Jeffcoat, Vernon Maxwell and Mike Richardson. He finished the year tied with Maxwell for the team lead in tackles-for-loss (8), fourth on the team in total tackles (114) and returned an interception for a 20-yard

against

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Caldwell was selected by the

in the third round (77th overall) of the

1983 NFL draft The 1983 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, 1983, at the New York Sh ...

. He was also selected by the

Arizona Wranglers The Arizona Wranglers were a professional American football team in the United States Football League (USFL) that existed from late 1982 to mid-1985. They played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. ...

in the 1983 USFL Territorial Draft. He suffered torn knee ligaments in his left knee during the first week of

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

and was placed on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in t ...

. He didn't regain his previous form and was released on August 27,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

Houston Oilers

On September 20,

, he was signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

to replace an injured Jerome Foster. He played in 8 games at

, before being waived during the season.

Philadelphia Eagles

On May 8,

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

, he signed with the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

as a

and was waived on August 27.

Arizona Outlaws (USFL)

On January 6,

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

, he signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Outlaws of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

Personal life

Caldwell worked as an inspector for the city of

Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott (chaplain), Winfield Scott, a retired Chaplain Corps (United States ...

. His son, Kyle Caldwell, played defensive end for Arizona State from 2003 to 2006. He died of cancer in 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caldwell, Bryan 1960 births 2015 deaths Players of American football from Oakland, California American football defensive ends Arizona State Sun Devils football players Dallas Cowboys players Deaths from Hodgkin lymphoma Deaths from lymphoma in Texas Houston Oilers players Mesa Community College alumni Sportspeople from Fountain Valley, California Fountain Valley High School alumni