Tommy Lee Hart (November 7, 1944 – November 20, 2024) 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

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

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) for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

and

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

. He played

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 ...

for the Morris Brown Wolverines.

Early life

Hart attended Ballard High School. He accepted a

football scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United States and ...

from

Morris Brown College Morris Brown College (MBC) is a Private university, private African Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlan ...

. He earned four letters in football as an offensive guard, offensive tackle and defensive tackle. He also earned three letters in track as a sprinter and shot putter. He was a three-time All-conference selection. He was named second-team NAIA All-American as a senior. In 1993, he was inducted into the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Hart was selected by the

in the tenth round (261st overall) of the

1968 NFL/AFL draft The 1968 NFL/AFL draft was part of the common draft, in the second year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players. It took place at the Belmont Plaza Hotel in New York City on January 30–31, 1968. The Minnesota Vikings ac ...

. He was a one-time

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

er in 1976, when he recorded 16 sacks including 6 in a single-game versus the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

. He recorded 17 sacks in 1972 when he was honorable-mention All-NFC. In 1972 and 1976, he earned the Len Eshmont Award, the 49ers most prestigious annual honor. He was traded to the

before the start of the 1978 season.

Personal life and death

In 1981, he was hired as an assistant defensive line coach for the 49ers under head coach

Bill Walsh William Ernest Walsh (November 30, 1931 – July 30, 2007) was an American professional and college football coach. He served as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Stanford Cardinal, during which time he popularized the West Coast off ...

. He was a part of three Super Bowl championship teams. His 1985 coached defensive line, helped the team collect 60 sacks, the second highest total in team history. He moved to the 49ers scouting department from 1992 to 1993. In 1996, he joined the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

as the defensive ends coach. In 1998, he was hired as the Cowboys West area scout. On November 21, 2024, the 49ers announced that Hart had died at the age of 80.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Tommy 1944 births 2024 deaths American football defensive ends Chicago Bears players Dallas Cowboys scouts Morris Brown Wolverines football players New Orleans Saints players San Francisco 49ers coaches San Francisco 49ers players San Francisco 49ers scouts National Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from Macon, Georgia