Theodore Bernard Washington Sr. (February 16, 1948 – May 8, 2017) was an American 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

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 ...

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). He played ten seasons with 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 ...

, playing outside linebacker. Washington attended George S. Middleton High School in Tampa, graduated from Tuskegee Institute High School in Tuskegee, Alabama and later played collegiate football at

Mississippi Valley State University Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU, The Valley or Valley) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi, adjacent to Itta Bena, Mississ ...

. Washington earned a bachelor's degree in Health and Physical Education from MVSU, a master's degree in Guidance and Counseling from

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was founded as a normal school for teachers on July 4, 1881, by the ...

, and devoted his life to Christian ministry following retirement from the NFL. He was the father of former NFL player

Ted Washington Theodore Washington Jr. (born April 13, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a nose tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected by the Sa ...

Jr.

References

1948 births Living people American football linebackers Houston Oilers players Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils football players Players of American football from Tampa, Florida 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen {{linebacker-1940s-stub