Thomas Jeffrey Toth (born May 23, 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 ...

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

who played five seasons 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) with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

and

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

. He was selected by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

in the fourth round of the

1985 NFL draft The 1985 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The NFL draft, draft was held April 30 and May 1, 1985 NFL season, 1985, at the Omni Park Central Hotel in New York City, New ...

after playing

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Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...

Early life and college

Thomas Jeffrey Toth was born on May 23, 1962, in

Blue Island, Illinois Blue Island is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, south of Chicago Loop, Chicago's Loop. Blue Island is adjacent to the city of Chicago and shares its northern boundary with that city's Morgan Park, Chicago, Morgan Park neighborho ...

. He attended

Carl Sandburg High School Carl Sandburg High School, Sandburg, or CSHS, is a public four-year high school located at the intersection of La Grange Road and Southmoor Drive in Orland Park, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is par ...

Orland Park, Illinois Orland Park is a Village (United States)#Illinois, village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Will County, Illinois, Will County. It is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Orland Park ...

. Toth played

for the

Western Michigan Broncos The Western Michigan Broncos are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I program representing Western Michigan University (WMU) in college athletics. They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's coll ...

. He

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 ...

the 1981 season and was a three-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

from 1982 to 1984.

Professional career

Toth was selected by the

in the fourth round, with the 102nd overall pick, of the

. He officially signed with the team on July 19. He was placed on injured reserve on August 15, 1985, and missed the entire 1985 season. Toth was released by the Patriots on September 1, 1986. Toth signed with the

on September 9, 1986. He played in 13 games for the Dolphins during the 1986 season. He appeared in 12 games, all starts, for the Dolphins in the strike-shortened 1987 season as the team finished 8–7. Toth was placed on injured reserve on September 28, 1988, and later activated on November 19, 1988. Overall, he played in nine games, starting four, during the 1988 season. He appeared in all 16 games, starting two, in 1989, and became a free agent after the season. Toth was signed by the

on March 28, 1990. He played in the first game of the 1990 season before being released on September 10, 1990. Toth signed with the Dolphins again on August 6, 1991. He was

waived/injured The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

on August 20 and then reverted to injured reserve. He was waived from injured reserve on November 7, 1991.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Toth, Tom Living people 1962 births American football offensive linemen Western Michigan Broncos football players New England Patriots players Miami Dolphins players San Diego Chargers players Sportspeople from Blue Island, Illinois Players of American football from Cook County, Illinois 20th-century African-American sportsmen