Tony Loranzo Jeffery (born July 9, 1964) 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 ...
player who was a
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
for one season with the
Phoenix 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) West division. The team play ...
of 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 was selected by the Cardinals in the second round of the
1988 NFL draft after playing
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
TCU Horned Frogs
The TCU Horned Frogs are the athletic teams that represent Texas Christian University. The 18 varsity teams participate in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division I and in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for football, competi ...
. Jeffery was also a member of the
New York/New Jersey Knights of the
World League of American Football
NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...
.
Early life and college
Tony Loranzo Jeffery was born on July 9, 1964, in
Gladewater, Texas
Gladewater is a city in Gregg County, Texas, Gregg and Upshur County, Texas, Upshur counties in the U.S. state of Texas with a 2020 census population of 6,134.
In the early 20th century, Gladewater was an oil boom town. In 1995, the Texas Legisla ...
.
He attended
Gladewater High School in Gladewater.
Jeffery was a four-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 ...
for the
TCU Horned Frogs
The TCU Horned Frogs are the athletic teams that represent Texas Christian University. The 18 varsity teams participate in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division I and in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for football, competi ...
of
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private university, private research university in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison Clark, Addison and Randolph Clark as the AddRan Male & Female College. It i ...
from 1984 to 1987.
He rushed 165 times for 840 yards and nine touchdowns as a freshman in 1984 while also catching six passes for 39 yards and returning four kicks for 81 yards.
In 1985, he recorded 176 carries for 695 yards and four touchdowns, and 17 receptions for 229 yards and one touchdown.
As a junior in 1986, Jeffery totaled 122 rushing attempts for 861 yards and eight touchdowns, and 11 catches for 112 yards and one touchdown.
His 7.1 yards per attempt was the highest in the
Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference also included schools from Oklaho ...
(SWC) that season.
He rushed 202 times for 1,353 yards and ten touchdowns his senior year in 1987 while catching 17 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown, earning
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
second-team All-SWC honors.
Jeffery's 1,353 rushing yards led the SWC that year.
His 3,749 career rushing yards were the second most in TCU history at the time.
He was inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame in 2019.
Professional career
Jeffery was selected by the
Phoenix 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) West division. The team play ...
in the second round, with the 38th overall pick, of the
1988 NFL draft.
He officially signed with the team on July 11, 1988.
He played in three games for the Cardinals during the 1988 season, rushing three times for eight yards and returning one kick for 11 yards.
Jeffery was released on September 5, 1989.
Jeffery signed with 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 ...
on May 4, 1990.
He was released on August 27, 1990.
Jeffery played in all ten games for the
New York/New Jersey Knights of the
World League of American Football
NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa) was a professional American football league that functioned as the List of developmental and minor sports leagues, developmental minor league of the Nati ...
in 1991, totaling 16 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns and four receptions for 60 yards.
References
External links
Stats Crew profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffery, Tony
Living people
1964 births
Players of American football from Upshur County, Texas
American football running backs
TCU Horned Frogs football players
Phoenix Cardinals players
San Francisco 49ers players
New York/New Jersey Knights players
People from Gladewater, Texas