Tom Tupa

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Tom Tupa
Positions:
Punter
Quarterback 		Jersey numbers:
19, 7, 9
born on February 6, 1966 in Cleveland , Ohio
Career information
Active : 1988 - 2005
NFL Draft : 1988 / Round: 3 / Pick: 68
College : Ohio State
Teams
Career statistics
Punts     873
potted yards     37,862
Yards per punt     43.4
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Career highlights and awards

Thomas Joseph Tupa, Jr. (born February 6, 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio ) is a retired American football player. He played in the position of punter and quarterback in the National Football League .

Career

As a child, Tupa took part in the NFL punt, pass and kick competition several times , in which he won once. He played mostly in the position of quarterback in high school. Here he was able to lead his team to the State Championship . He also played basketball and baseball in the pitcher and shortstop positions . He played on the same basketball team as former NBA coach Eric Musselman and NBA forward Scott Roth.

He took on the role of starting quarterback in 1987 at Ohio State University after being placed behind Mike Tomczak and Jim Karsatos for three years. He threw 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions at 2,252 yards. In the same season he was voted All-American Punter . In 1988 he was selected for the Hula Bowl All-Star Game .

NFL

Tupa was voted 68th in the 1988 NFL Draft by the Phoenix Cardinals in the third round . During his rookie year, he was used exclusively as a quarterback, he played in two games and threw 49 yards on 4 of 5 completed passes. In his second season he was used as a punter. He punted six times for an average of 46.7 yards. After he was used exclusively as "Holder" in his third season, he was the primary quarterback the following year. He played 11 games, threw 6 touchdowns at 13 interceptions. For the 1992 season he moved to the Indianapolis Colts . Here Tupa was set up as backup quarterback behind Jack Trudeau and Jeff George. After this season he only played as a punter, his throwing skills were only used for trick plays.

He suspended the 1993 season after being removed from the Cleveland Browns roster shortly before the season began. In the following year, however, he was taken back to the team. He played as a starting punter for two seasons. With the 1996 season he moved to the New England Patriots . He stayed here for 3 years. For the 1999 season he moved to the New York Jets . This season he was invited to the Pro Bowl for the first time . He also threw 2 touchdowns in 6 of 11 attempts for 165 yards that year. In 2002 he moved to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . With these he won the Super Bowl XXXVII . He made one last move in the 2004 season. This time to the Washington Redskins . He spent the 2005 season on the injury list.

In spring 2006 he announced his retirement from pro football.

Tupa achieved the first two-point conversion in NFL history when he ran a fake extra-point attempt for the Browns against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first game of the 1994 season. He achieved three such conversions that season, earning him the nickname "Two Point Tupa".

Private life

He is currently the offensive coordinator at his high school. He is also the "Recreation Director" of Brecksville .

His son, Tom Tupa III, is a quarterback at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio . His second son, Tim Tupa, is a wide receiver at Bowling Green State University .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ English language http://buckeyefansonly.com/awards.html Ohio State Buckeyes All American List
  2. ↑ English language http://patch.com/ohio/brecksville/still-right-at-home-in-brecksville
  3. ↑ English language http://highschoolsports.cleveland.com/news/article/966482374518133295/former-brecksville-qbwr-tim-tupa-transfers-to-bowling-green-from-naval-academy/
personal data
SURNAME Tupa, Tom
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Tupa, Thomas Joseph Jr. (full name); Two Point Tupa (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American football player
DATE OF BIRTH February 6, 1966
PLACE OF BIRTH Cleveland , Ohio , United States