Thomas Robert Ruud (born July 26, 1953, in Olivia,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

) is a former professional football player, a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...

for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

and

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

of the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

. At 6'3" 223 lb, he played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1972- 74. At the 1975 NFL Draft, Ruud was selected in the first round (19th overall) by the

. He played three seasons with the Bills and two with the

. Tom Ruud is a 1971 graduate of

Jefferson High School This is a list of memorials to Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the United States and the author of the United States Declaration of Independence. Buildings Elementary schools *Jefferson Elementary School, in Cammack Village, Arkansas *Thoma ...

in Bloomington,

. His sons Barret and Bo both played football at Nebraska and were selected in the NFL Draft.

External links

NFL.com
- Tom Ruud * People from Olivia, Minnesota American football linebackers Nebraska Cornhuskers football players Buffalo Bills players Cincinnati Bengals players Players of American football from Minnesota 1953 births Living people {{linebacker-1950s-stub