Greg Toler (born January 2, 1985) 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 ...

. He was selected by the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

in the fourth round of the

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. Toler was the first and last player from Saint Paul's College, a defunct Division II

historically black Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

college in

Lawrenceville, Virginia Lawrenceville is a town in Brunswick County, Virginia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,014. Located by the Meherrin River, it is the county seat of Brunswick County. In colonial times, Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotsw ...

, to be drafted into the NFL.

Early life

He had a few scholarship offers in his senior year at Northwestern High School in

Hyattsville, Maryland Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. It is an urban suburb of Washington, D.C. The population was 21,187 at the 2020 United States census. History Before Europeans reached the area, the upper Anacostia ...

, but he didn't have the grades that were good enough to attend college. He was working at a local

JCPenney Penney OpCo LLC , Trade name, doing business as JCPenney (colloquially Penney's and abbreviated JCP) is an American department store chain store, chain with 649 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. It is managed as part of the Catalys ...

and playing semi-pro football in the Washington, DC-Virginia-Maryland area for the DC Explosion (NAFL), when he was noticed by a coach who worked at

Saint Paul's College, Virginia Saint Paul's College was a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black college in Lawrenceville, Virginia. Saint Paul's College opened its doors on September 24, 1888, originally training students ...

. Toler was eventually awarded a scholarship at Saint Paul's College. Toler made the

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (originally and through 1950 known as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association — CIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NC ...

(CIAA) All-Conference team as a junior and senior.

Professional career

Arizona Cardinals

Considered one of the most intriguing small-school prospects in the

, Toler was graded as the seventh-best cornerback available. He was selected in the fourth round, 131st overall, by the Cardinals, as the first and last St. Paul's Tiger selected in an NFL Draft. He missed the entire 2011 season due to a torn ACL.

Indianapolis Colts

Toler signed with the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

on March 12, 2013. Toler was placed on injured reserve on January 6, 2014, after suffering a groin injury during the Colts 45–44 Wild Card win over 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 ...

Washington Redskins

On April 13, 2016, Toler signed a one-year contract with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

Indianapolis Colts bioArizona Cardinals bioWashington Redskins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toler, Greg 1985 births Living people American football cornerbacks Saint Paul's Tigers football players Arizona Cardinals players Indianapolis Colts players Players of American football from Prince George's County, Maryland Players of American football from Washington, D.C. Washington Redskins players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen Saint Paul's College (Virginia) alumni