Eldridge Dennis Milton (born December 8, 1962) 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 ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

who played one season 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

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

. 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 ...

at Clemson and was one of the

replacement player In professional sports, a replacement player is an sportsperson, athlete who is not a member of the league's players association and plays during a labor dispute such as a Strike action, strike or Lockout (industry), lockout, serving as a strikebre ...

s signed during the

1987 NFL strike The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) is the labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. and president J ...

. He also had a stint with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

Early life

Milton was born on December 8, 1962, in

Folkston, Georgia Folkston is a city in and the county seat of Charlton County, Georgia, Charlton County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 4,464 in 2020. History Folkston was founded on August 19, 1911. The city was named in ho ...

. He grew up on his family's 200-acre farm there, and enjoyed playing with two of his "friends" –

alligator An alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genus ''Alligator'' of the Family (biology), family Alligatoridae in the Order (biology), order Crocodilia. The two Extant taxon, extant species are the American alligator (''A. mis ...

s nearby which he named Jimmy and Gypsy. "We started playing with them when they were young," he later said, "and I've been swimming and playing with them ever since. I've never been scared. Gators won't bother you unless they're hungry or they're cornered." When asked how he played with alligators, Milton responded that he "just swims with them," saying, "We swim on their backs and we grab them around the neck, and turn them over on their backs. Then we rub their stomachs, and that puts them to sleep. To wake them up, we just hit them up on their chests." He was given the nickname of "Gator" for this. Milton attended Charlton County High School, where he played

on both offense and defense. He helped them reach a runner-up spot in the state championship, and graduated in 1981.

College career

Milton began attending

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

, at which he studied industrial education, in 1981. He played for their

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

as a

and as a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

won the national championship. That season, he was mainly a reserve who played on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. Milton

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

in 1982. He returned in 1983 and earned his second

varsity letter A varsity letter (or monogram) is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its recipient was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met. A person who ...

. Milton was one of Clemson's "steadiest defenders" during his final three seasons with the school. By 1985, he was the last remaining player from the championship squad to have earned a varsity letter. Milton graduated in 1986.

Professional career

After going unselected in the

1986 NFL draft The 1986 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 29–30, 1986, at the Marriott M ...

, Milton was signed by the

as an

undrafted 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 ...

, but did not make the team. He was given a contract by the

in mid-season of 1987, being a

signed due to the Players Association strike. Making his debut in the 35–3 defeat of 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 ...

, he appeared in all three strike games as a backup. Milton recorded his only career stat, a 10-yard

kickoff return A kickoff is a method of starting a Drive (American football), drive in gridiron football. Additionally, it may refer to a kickoff time, the scheduled time of the first kickoff of a game. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicki ...

, during his third game, against the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Milton, Eldridge 1962 births Living people Players of American football from Charlton County, Georgia American football linebackers Clemson Tigers football players Denver Broncos players Chicago Bears players NFL replacement players