Steve Tasker
| Steve Tasker | |
|---|---|
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Positions: Return Specialist , Gunner |
Jersey numbers: 80, 89 |
| born April 10, 1962 in Smith Center , Kansas | |
| Career information | |
| Active : 1985 - 1997 | |
| NFL Draft : 1985 / Round: 9 / Pick: 226 | |
| College : Northwestern | |
| Teams | |
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| Career statistics | |
| Captured passports | 51 |
| Captive yards | 779 |
| Touchdowns | 9 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Steven Jay Tasker (born April 10, 1962 in Smith Center , Kansas ) is a retired American football player and sports reporter. The 1.75 meter tall Tasker nominally played the position of wide receiver for the Houston Oilers and the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League , but he became known for his game in the " Special Teams " as a " Kick Returner " and as a so-called " Gunner ". With seven Pro Bowl nominations as “special teamer” (all as “All-Pro”), Tasker is one of the most highly decorated “specialists” in NFL history.
Career
Tasker was drawn 226th in the 1985 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. During his rookie season, he played seven games for the Texas team (all as substitutes) and played both wide receiver, kick returner and gunner. As a wide receiver, he recorded two catches for a total of 14 yards of space gain, his 447 yards for 17 returns meant 26.3 yards per return, which put him in second place in the NFL. Nevertheless, he was transferred to the Buffalo Bills in the middle of the 1986 season, who played him exclusively in the "special teams" as a returner or gunner.
Tasker developed into one of the best "gunner" in the NFL, that is, he specialized in tackling the opposing punt or kick- return early or disrupting or blocking the shot of the opposing punter , which often leads to a defensive one Touchdown or Safety led. In 1987 Tasker was selected as a "special teamer" in the Pro Bowl after scoring two forced fumbles and a safety. Together with the Bills, Tasker reached the Super Bowl four times in a row , but Buffalo lost it four times.
Tasker established himself as one of the best "special teamer" in NFL history: between 1990 and 1995 he was elected as a "special teamer" each time in the Pro Bowl and experienced a high point in his career in the 1993 Pro Bowl match. Tasker scored four tackles, caused a “forced fumble” and blocked an opposing field goal attempt in the fourth quarter when the score was 13:13 . For this he was awarded the "NFL Pro Bowl Most Valuable Player Award". Tasker became the first and to date only “special teamer” to receive this award.
As a gunner, Tasker made 204 tackles and blocked seven punts in his career. In the fall of his career, Tasker was also used sporadically in his actual position wide receiver and achieved 255 or 372 yards of space gain until he ended his career in 1997. NFL.com nominated Tasker as one of the "Top 10 Players Not Into the Pro Football Hall of Fame " and praised his "fearlessness in tackling returnees ... and blocking enemy shots." He was the only "special teamer" on this list.
Tasker currently works as a sports commentator at CBS .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ It's a Special Night for the Bills' Tasker, Who Gets Game Ball , Los Angeles Times
- ↑ Top Ten Not in HOF: Steve Tasker , NFL.com
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Tasker, Steve |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Tasker, Steven Jay |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Sports commentator and former American football player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 10, 1962 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Smith Center , Kansas , United States |