Gordon Carl Lockbaum (born November 16, 1965) is an American former

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 ...

player, who was a standout

two-way player In sports that require a player to play on offense and defense (such as basketball and ice hockey), a two-way player refers to a player who excels at both. In sports where a player typically specializes on offense or defense (like American footb ...

(playing both offense and defense) in NCAA Division I-AA.

College career

Lockbaum was raised in

Glassboro, New Jersey Glassboro is a Borough (New Jersey), borough within Gloucester County, New Jersey, Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2 ...

, and spent his prep years at Glassboro High School where he competed in football, baseball, and wrestling; he graduated in 1984. Lockbaum attended the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by educators Benedict Joseph Fenwick and Thomas F. Mulledy in 1843 under the auspices of the Society of Jesus. ...

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

, from 1984 to 1988, where he played

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

and halfback on offense,

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

on defense, and was a

kick returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

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 ...

. Lockbaum was a starting

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 ...

during his freshman season, and moved to

strong safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free sa ...

as a sophomore. Before his junior season, the Holy Cross coaching staff (head coach Mark Duffner, offensive coordinate Tom Rossley, and defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle) decided to use Lockbaum on both offense and defense. He became the first two-way player since Leroy Keyes of

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...

in 1968. In Lockbaum's junior season of 1986, he rushed for 827 yards on 144 carries, caught 57 passes for 860 yards, and scored 22 touchdowns on offense; on defense he had 46 tackles, two fumble recoveries, and one interception; on special teams he returned 21 kickoffs for 452 yards. In a game against Dartmouth he scored six touchdowns, and in a game against

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

he was on the field for 143 of 171 total plays. He was named WTBS college football player of the year, New Jersey Sports Writers Association college player of the year, and finished fifth in the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

balloting. In his senior season of 1987, he rushed for 403 yards on 85 carries, and caught 77 passes for 1152 yards, amassing 2041 all-purpose yards and again scoring 22 touchdowns, while continuing to play defense and special teams. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting, second in the

Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...

voting, and was runner-up for the inaugural Walter Payton Award (Division I-AA player of the year). After the conclusion of the regular season, Lockbaum was selected for three all-star games; the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

, the

East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

, and the

Blue–Gray Football Classic The Blue–Gray Football Classic was an annual American college football all-star game held in Alabama, usually in late December and often on Christmas Day. The brainchild of Alabama college football legend Champ Pickens, the contest began in ...

. He appeared in all three games, seeing the most action in the Shrine Game, where he played five positions (cornerback,

free safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the American football positions#Defense, defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two var ...

, strong safety, fullback, and wide receiver). Lockbaum was a two-time First Team All-America selection (

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 ...

and

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

) as a

. He still holds several Holy Cross offensive records, including most touchdowns in a season and most points in a season (22 and 132, respectively, accomplished in both 1986 and 1987). Lockbaum was inducted into the Glassboro High School Hall of Fame in 1989, the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1993, the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

in 2001, and the ECAC Hall of Fame in 2017.

Professional career

Lockbaum was selected in the 1988 NFL draft by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

in the ninth round, and played for them during the preseason as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

, but was released by the team in August of that year. In 1989, he was signed by the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, who moved him to

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

, but he was again released before the start of the regular season. In 1994, he played briefly for the

Massachusetts Marauders The Massachusetts Marauders were a professional arena football team that was based in Worcester, Massachusetts. They were a member of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 1988 to 1994. The team was established in Detroit in 1988, as the Detroit ...

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

Personal life

Lockbaum received a degree in

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

from Holy Cross, and became an executive for an insurance company. His son, also nicknamed Gordie, played

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

in the 2002 Little League World Series for the Worcester team that reached the US championship game, and later attended

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

where he was a defensive back on the football team.

References

External links

30 for 30 Shorts: The Throwback
at

ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...

Gordie Lockbaum Interview by Charter TV3 Central Mass.
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lockbaum, Gordie 1965 births Living people Glassboro High School alumni Sportspeople from Glassboro, New Jersey Players of American football from Delaware County, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Gloucester County, New Jersey Holy Cross Crusaders football players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Massachusetts Marauders players Sportspeople from Media, Pennsylvania All-American college football players

College career

Professional career

Personal life

References

Further reading

External links