American football player (born 1978) American football player Tommy PolleyNo. 52, 50 Position:| Linebacker Personal information Born:| (1978-01-18) January 18, 1978 (age 44) Baltimore, Maryland Height:| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight:| 230 lb (104 kg) Career information High school:| Dunbar (Baltimore, Maryland) College:| Florida State NFL Draft:| 2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 42 Career history * St. Louis Rams (2001–2004) * Baltimore Ravens (2005) * New Orleans Saints (2006)* * Offseason and/or practice squad member only Career NFL statistics | Tackles:| 386 | Pass Deflections:| 27 Sacks:| 6.0 Forced fumbles:| 4 Interceptions:| 4 Player stats at NFL.com Tommy William Polley (born January 18, 1978) is a former American football player who spent six seasons in the NFL. He originally played for the St. Louis Rams from 2001 to 2004 before signing with the Ravens as a free agent in 2005. He played only one season with the Ravens before signing with the Saints on June 2, 2006. Polley grew up in Baltimore and played football for Dunbar High School. He was a Top 50 Basketball prospect according to Hoop Scoop. ## Contents * 1 Early years * 2 College career * 3 Professional career * 4 Coaching career * 5 References ## Early years[edit] Polley was hailed as one of the top prep athletes in the nation during his senior year at Dunbar High School in Baltimore,[citation needed] which is regarded as one of the top producers of basketball talent in the country.[citation needed] He was USA Today’s Player-of-the-Year in Maryland after recording 208 tackles (136 solo), 16 sacks and eight interceptions as a senior. He also caught 34 passes for 567 yards and three TDs. He led his team to back-to-back state championships as a junior and senior and was named Baltimore area Defensive Player-of-the-Year after both his junior and senior campaigns. He was also regarded as one of the country’s top 60 basketball prospects,[citation needed] and led the Poets to four straight state titles—averaged 20.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game as a senior. ## College career[edit] Polley enrolled at Florida State University as a scholarship player. He ended his collegiate career with 289 tackles (170 solo) and was a semi-finalist for the Butkus Award, third-team Football News All-American, First-team All-ACC selection, and a finalist for the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award (as a result of his courageous comeback from the injury he suffered in the Sugar Bowl). In his final season at FSU, Polley had 100 tackles with 53 solo tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, broke up 7 passes, recovered a team-high 3 fumbles, and forced one. The defensive leader and captain took the Seminoles to another National Championship (2001 Orange Bowl), even though his team ultimately lost 13-2 to the Oklahoma Sooners. In his junior year in 1999, Polley had an outstanding season when he led Florida State with 109 tackles (67 solos) and also had six stops for loss. He earned First-team All-ACC accolades. In his Sophomore Year (1998) he started 12 of 13 games at both outside linebacking posts and had 59 total tackles (37 solo) and had two tackles for loss. 1997 was his freshman Year (and he totaled 21 tackles with 13 solo stops in the first year of action and played in all 12 games and had at least one tackle in eight games. In 1996, he Redshirted along with most of his class. ## Professional career[edit] Polley was drafted by the St. Louis Rams on the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He finished his rookie season with 67 tackles (50 solo). Polley went on to have a 6-year NFL career, amassing 304 tackles with 224 solo stops, and retired in 2007 after a shoulder injury sidelined him for most of the season. After 4 seasons with the Rams, he finished his career by spending one year with the Baltimore Ravens and his final year with the New Orleans Saints. ## Coaching career[edit] Polley coaches for St. Mary's High School in St. Louis, Missouri as the defensive coordinator. ## References[edit] * v * t * e 1999 Florida State Seminoles football—consensus national champions * Brian Allen * Anquan Boldin * Rufus Brown * Tay Cody * Laveranues Coles * Darnell Dockett * Char-ron Dorsey * Ron Dugans * Reggie Durden * Mario Edwards * Talman Gardner * Derrick Gibson * Montrae Holland * Chris Hope * Clay Ingram * Alonzo Jackson * Sebastian Janikowski * Bradley Jennings * Jerry Johnson * Dan Kendra * Marvin Minnis * Travis Minor * Tommy Polley * Jamal Reynolds * Stanford Samuels * Corey Simon * Clevan Thomas * Tarlos Thomas * David Warren * Peter Warrick * Chris Weinke * Brett Williams * Todd Williams * Jason Whitaker * Head coach: Bobby Bowden * Assistant coaches: Chuck Amato * Mickey Andrews * Jeff Bowden * Manny Diaz * Odell Haggins * Mark Richt * v * t * e St. Louis Rams 2001 NFL Draft selections * Damione Lewis * Adam Archuleta * Ryan Pickett * Tommy Polley * Brian Allen * Milton Wynn * Brandon Manumaleuna * Jerametrius Butler * Francis St. Paul * v * t * e St. Louis Rams 10th Anniversary Team Offense QB Kurt Warner RB Marshall Faulk FB Robert Holcombe WR Isaac Bruce WR Torry Holt TE Ernie Conwell OT Orlando Pace OT Kyle Turley G Adam Timmerman G Tom Nütten C Andy McCollum Defense DE Leonard Little DE Grant Wistrom DT D'Marco Farr DT Ryan Pickett DT Tyoka Jackson LB London Fletcher LB Mike Jones LB Tommy Polley DB Aeneas Williams DB Dre' Bly DB Keith Lyle DB Adam Archuleta Special Teams K Jeff Wilkins P Sean Landeta PR Az-Zahir Hakim KR Tony Horne ST Dane Looker *[v]: View this template *[t]: Discuss this template *[e]: Edit this template