Russell Maryland

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Russell Maryland
No. 67, 97
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1969-03-22) March 22, 1969 (age 55)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:308 lb (140 kg)
Career information
High school:Whitney M. Young Magnet (Chicago)
College:Miami (FL)
NFL draft:1991 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:154
Sacks:24.5
Tackles:375
Forced fumbles:9
Interceptions:1
Touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Russell James Maryland (born March 22, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for 10 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes. Maryland was selected by the Cowboys with the first overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft.

Early years[edit]

Maryland was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, where he played high school football at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School. He was not highly recruited, and the only major college program to offer him a scholarship was the University of Miami.

In 1989, he was named third team All-American. As a senior in 1990, he registered 96 tackles and 10+12 quarterback sacks for the Miami Hurricanes. He was named a consensus All-American, College Football Lineman of the Year by the UPI and became the first Hurricane player ever to receive the Outland Trophy for the best lineman in college.[1]

Maryland finished his college career with 279 tackles, 25 tackles for losses and 20.5 quarterback sacks, while helping his team win two national championships, four bowl games, a perfect home record and a 44-4 overall record.

Prior to his graduation from Miami, Russell was inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest honor bestowed by the university.[2]

In 2001 he was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame. In 2001, he was inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2016, he received the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award.[3]

Professional career[edit]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Bench press
6 ft 0+78 in
(1.85 m)
274 lb
(124 kg)
31+12 in
(0.80 m)
9+38 in
(0.24 m)
4.96 s 1.77 s 2.94 s 26 reps
All values from NFL Combine[4]

Dallas Cowboys[edit]

Maryland was the first overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft, by the Dallas Cowboys,[5] after the initial No. 1 prospect Raghib Ismail decided to sign with the Toronto Argonauts.[6] After the New England Patriots failed to sign Ismail, the Cowboys attempted to do so by trading for the first overall pick, sending the Patriots Eugene Lockhart, Ron Francis, David Howard, a 1991 first round pick (#11 Pat Harlow) and a 1991 second round pick (#41 Jerome Henderson).

Maryland started as a rookie defensive tackle and from the beginning showed the relentless motor and effort that he would be known for. He was especially stout against the run and helped the team win three Super Bowls. In 1993 he was named to his only Pro Bowl.[7]

Oakland Raiders[edit]

On July 19, 1996, he signed as a free agent with the Oakland Raiders.[8] On April 1, 2000, he was released in a salary cap move.[9] He started 63 out of 64 games with the Raiders.

Green Bay Packers[edit]

On April 20, 2000, he was signed as a free agent by the Green Bay Packers, to replace Gilbert Brown as the team's starting nose tackle.[10] He started all 16 games during the season. On September 2, 2001, he was released after refusing to take a pay cut.[11]

During his 10-year career he started 140-of-154 games, had 371 tackles, 24.5 sacks and recovered six fumbles.

NFL statistics[edit]

Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
Cmb Solo Ast Sacks FF FR Yds INT Yds PDs
1991 DAL 16 33 _ _ 4.5 0 0 0 0 0 0
1992 DAL 14 49 _ _ 2.5 0 2 0 0 0 0
1993 DAL 16 43 32 11 2.5 0 2 0 0 0 0
1994 DAL 16 30 28 2 3.0 0 1 0 0 0 2
1995 DAL 13 31 25 6 2.0 1 0 0 0 0 2
1996 OAK 16 52 41 11 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 1
1997 OAK 16 79 55 24 4.5 1 0 0 0 0 1
1998 OAK 15 48 35 13 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 1
1999 OAK 16 51 33 18 1.5 1 1 0 1 2 2
2000 GB 16 37 18 19 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Career 154 371 267 104 24.5 3 6 0 1 2 11

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Maryland Wins Trophy". New York Times. December 6, 1990. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  2. ^ ""Russell Maryland Set for Sept. 17 NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute," Missouri Sports Magazine". Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  3. ^ "All-Time Honors Award Winners". Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  4. ^ "Russell Maryland, Combine Results, DT - Miami (FL)". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  5. ^ "1991 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  6. ^ George, Thomas (April 22, 1991). "When Rocket Skips, Lineman Soars to Top". New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  7. ^ Report, Bleacher. "Russell Maryland: Where Is the Miami Hurricanes Football Star Now?". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  8. ^ "Sign Maryland as a Free Agent". The New York Times. July 20, 1996. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  9. ^ "Maryland Released By the Raiders". The New York Times. April 2, 2000. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  10. ^ "Maryland is Signed to Three Year Deal". The New York Times. April 21, 2000. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  11. ^ "Economics cost Maryland roster spot with Pack". Retrieved June 27, 2022.

External links[edit]